The TTF first convened in December 2016, composed of a specialist veterinarian and a leading farmer for each of the agricultural sectors, covering beef, dairy, eggs, fish, gamebirds, pigs, poultry meat and sheep. The associated government agencies – the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Food Standards Agency – took part in the group as observers and provided input on data and methodology.

In November 2017, after a year of intensive effort and partnership with stakeholder organisations, the TTF published a series of sector targets designed to reduce, refine or replace antibiotics without affecting the animal health and welfare of farmed animals across UK agriculture [2].

The common theme across all sectors is the partnership between veterinarians and producers

The targets reflect the different start points and challenges for each sector, although they all committed to specific targets. The next steps explain how the targets will be delivered. The common theme across all sectors is the partnership between veterinarians and producers as they adopt a proactive approach to disease prevention, but, when needed, prescribe and use antibiotics responsibly. The targets come to fruition in 2020.

In November 2018, RUMA published a progress report [3] for each sector with a second in October 2019 [4] reporting the following highlights:

• UK sales of antibiotics for food-producing animals fell 53% since 2014; overall use in 2018 was 29.5 mg/kg, one of the lowest quantities in the EU and below the government target of 50 mg/kg
• Sales of highest priority critically important antibiotics (HP–CIA) fell 68% between 2014 and 2018
• Only 30% of the UK’s antibiotics are now estimated to be used to treat disease in farm animals.

http://dx.doi.org/10.20506/bull.2019.3.3047