Brussels, 31 March 2025 – Today, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) published the first European Sales and Use of Antimicrobials for Veterinary Medicine (ESUAvet) annual surveillance report.
The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) welcomes this new report, which marks a significant milestone in the surveillance of antimicrobial use in animals. For the first time, all 27 EU Member States, along with Iceland and Norway, have collected and reported data on both the sales and use of antimicrobials in animals.
The Antimicrobial Sales and Use (ASU) Platform builds on the success of the European Surveillance of Veterinary Antimicrobial Consumption (ESVAC) initiative. Over 12 years, the ESVAC initiative contributed to a remarkable 50% reduction in veterinary antibiotic sales. Now, under EU legislation, data collection has become mandatory and has extended in scope and to include use data.
In respect to sales data, most antimicrobials – 98.4% – are sold for use in food-producing animals, with only 1.6% allocated to other animals, primarily companion animals. Looking at the Farm to Fork target for 2030 of 59.2 mg/PCU, now approximately half of the 50% reduction target set for 2030 has reached (2023 data: 88.5 mg/PCU). However, large differences between countries remain, highlighting the need for continued, targeted efforts across all member states.
In respect to use data, veterinarians played a key role, serving as the sole data providers in 16 countries, while 13 others utilised additional sources. Data were collected in 2023 for cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys. However, as many countries continue developing their data collection systems, improvements in accuracy and coverage are expected for the next years and consequently, quantitative use data could not yet be presented in this report.
Reducing antibiotic sales further will require profound collaborative efforts from veterinarians, farmers, policymakers, and allied stakeholders. Antimicrobial stewardship guidance (as being developed by JAMRAI II) and hands-on training workshops for veterinarians and farmers, such as those organised by the AMR F&V project, play a crucial role in this endeavour. Only through collaboration and commitment, both in the animal and human health sector, we can safeguard the efficacy of antibiotics for future generations.
NOTES TO EDITORS
The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) is the umbrella organisation of veterinary organisations from 39 European countries, representing a total of around 330 000 veterinarians and strives to promote animal health, animal welfare and public health across Europe. For further information, consult the FVE website www.fve.org or info@fve.org
