Antibiotics in animal husbandry: use falls slightly There is potential for reduction in fattening herds
What it's about:
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment) conducts assessments of the volumes of antibiotics used in cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys, as well as the frequency of treatment across various types of livestock, including purchased calves, dairy cows, fattening piglets and pigs, chickens raised for meat production, laying hens and young hens, and fattening turkeys. The latest report for 2025 shows a slight decline in total consumption of around three per cent compared with the previous year. “Since the introduction of the antibiotic minimisation scheme, the use of substances important for human medicine has been significantly reduced,” says BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment President Professor Andreas Hensel. “Furthermore, slight reductions in antibiotic use are already being recorded in many animal categories newly included in the system. However, a further reduction should be aimed for in the case of animals raised for meat production.”
Trends in Antibiotic Use and Treatment Frequency
In total, antibiotic consumption of around 494 tonnes was recorded across all animal categories in 2025. This represents a slight decrease of around 3 per cent compared with the previous year. The consumption quantities of substances of particular importance to human medicine, as recorded for cattle, pigs, chickens and turkeys, have been significantly reduced since the introduction of the antibiotic minimisation scheme – from over 66 tonnes in 2014 in animals raised for meat production only to 29 tonnes in 2025 across all livestock. The decline is mainly attributable to the reduction in the use of the antibiotic colistin.
The frequency of treatment fell for almost all of the livestock categories newly included in 2023, with particularly sharp declines among laying hens (−55 per cent) and dairy cows (−7 per cent). In contrast, the frequency of treatment mostly increased among animals raised for meat production, most notably among chickens raised for meat production (+6 per cent) and fattening turkeys (+5 per cent).
Trends in antibiotic resistance
The trend in the development of resistance in E. colishort forEscherichia coli from pigs raised for meat production, as well as from calves raised for meat production and young cattle, is less positive than it was two years ago. In the short term, when comparing 2025 with 2023, resistance rates in E. colishort forEscherichia coli from pigs raised for meat production at slaughter to sulphamethoxazole and trimethoprim increased significantly. The long-term trends for the period from 2015 to 2025 show only a significant decrease in resistance E. colishort forEscherichia coli from fattening pigs to a single substance, namely tetracycline. At the same time, there was a significant increase in resistance to the macrolide azithromycin.
A short-term significant increase in resistance rates to the substances sulfamethoxazole and trimethoprim was also observed in calves raised for meat production and young cattle. In the long term, two statistically significant decreases in resistance rates (to nalidixic acid and azithromycin) are offset by three increases (to ampicillin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline). In view of the increasing use of antibiotics in chickens raised for meat production and turkeys, further increases in E. colishort forEscherichia coli resistance are also to be expected in these livestock sectors.
The legal basis for this report is the Veterinary Medicines Act (TAMG). This stipulates that the use of antibiotics on farms rearing cattle, pigs, chickens or turkeys must be documented and communicated to the competent state authorities. The BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment receives this data in pseudonymised form. Until 2022, the reporting obligation applied only to the use of antibiotics in animals raised for meat production. Since 1 January 2023, new rules have applied to the recording of antibiotic use. These included adjustments to the categories of use, a new category for antibiotic monitoring, the transfer of the reporting obligation regarding antibiotic use from animal keepers to the treating vets, and the introduction of a weighting factor for antibiotic substances of particular importance to human medicine.
Further information on the BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment website regarding antibiotics
Questions and answers on the use of antibiotics in livestock farming
External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/en/service/frequently-asked-questions/topic/questions-and-answers-on-the-effects-of-the-use-of-antibiotics-in-livestock-farming/
BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment communication: BfRshort forGerman Federal Institute for Risk Assessment MEAL study – low concentrations of antibiotics found in trout fillets, pork and turkey meat (in German only)
External Link:https://www.bfr.bund.de/mitteilung/bfr-meal-studie-antibiotika-gehalte-in-forellenfilet-schweinefleisch-und-putenfleisch-gering/