17 Feb 2023
Vets told to ensure they are using the latest version of the platform after a fault was discovered.
Allister Webb
Job Title
Vets have been advised to make sure they have access to the latest version of a platform used to monitor farm antibiotic use after a fault was discovered.
Officials believe many professionals could have been used a version of the University of Nottingham Sheep AMU Calculator that contained the glitch.
In a joint statement, the Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group and Sheep Veterinary Society (SVS) said they had been “made aware” that a faulty version of the calculator was available online.
They added: “We would urge all vets to check which version they are using and to download the most up-to-date version (3.5).”
The calculator, which was originally developed at the University of Nottingham with funding from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), enables both vets and farmers to record the amounts of antibiotics used on farms, as well as the numbers of ewes and lambs in the flock and upload data to the Electronic Medicine Hub.
It is likely differences between readings taken from the latest version and the one containing the fault will vary between farms based on the balance of ewes and lambs in each flock.
