27 Nov 2025
RUMA Alliance publishes its livestock sector antibiotic usage targets for the third cycle of its Targets Task Force.
Chris Simpson
Job Title
Vets and agricultural sector stakeholders have been warned that reductions in antimicrobial usage will be increasingly challenging as an industry group laid out its targets for the next five years.
RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture) Alliance unveiled the third cycle of its Targets Task Force (TTF), setting out objectives for the UK’s various livestock sectors from 2025 through to 2029.
Speaking in a webinar accompanying the TTF3 targets, animal welfare minister Baroness Hayman said: “This phase is significant because the low-hanging fruit has already been picked. The easy wins are behind us, so further progress is going to be more challenging but not impossible, but it will require innovation, focus and continued collaboration.”
She added: “I want to congratulate RUMA for its leadership and the Targets Task Force representatives for your tireless efforts.
“Your work has set a global benchmark for responsible antibiotic use in agriculture, and as we enter this next phase, I encourage everyone – farmers, vets, industry leaders – to back these targets wholeheartedly.”
Cattle targets included the reduction of cattle injectables of critical antibiotics versus the previous year and to reduce use of calf oral antibiotics by 10% on the previous year.
The pig sector will aim for a 20% reduction in antibiotic usage by 2028, and by the end of next year it will expand its criteria for persistently high users from the top 5% to the top 10%.
It is said the sheep sector will define formal targets next year following the publication of the UK Ruminant Antimicrobial Stewardship Roadmap.
Several sectors – salmon, trout, laying hens and poultry meat – had a number of targets unchanged from TTF2.
RUMA chair Cat McLaughlin explained: “For some sectors, sustainable levels of use may already have been reached.
“This isn’t about being complacent, but there is a need for realism and understanding that in some cases, the journey ahead will be about maintenance of low use, rather than pushing for further reductions which could have a detrimental impact on animal welfare.”
The release of the annual UK Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance report and final TTF2 report revealed a plateauing of reduction levels.
The TTF3 targets were welcomed by stakeholders across the sector.
The Animals, Plants, Food and Environment Delivery Board for the UK AMR National Action Plan (NAP) said: “We commend RUMA and sectors for their leadership in driving continuous improvement in antibiotic use and disease prevention, and tailoring targets to sector-specific challenges.
“As this work is implemented, we recommend ongoing review and evolution of targets in light of emerging AMU and AMR surveillance data to ensure the hard work of the sectors lead to continued impact in reducing the risk of AMR.”
