In 2021, the British Poultry Council reported the use of 17.3 metric tons of active antibiotic compounds for production of broiler chickens.  This is a 22 percent reduction from 2020 and a 73 percent decrease since 2014 when data was first published.  In contrast, antibiotic use increased in the turkey sector by slightly more than 60 percent from 2019.  Notwithstanding this increase, antibiotic use in turkeys is 81 percent less than in 2014 and is below the target of 50 mg/kg use rate.

Colistin and third and fourth generation cephalosporins were not used by the meat poultry sectors in 2021.  In the U.K., fluoroquinolone use increased from 44 kg to 57 kg in 2021, representing 0.3 percent of total antibiotic use.  Fluoroquinolones have not been used in commercial poultry in the U.S. for more than two decades.

In evaluating antibiotic use in all food-producing animals in 2021, the average attained 28.3 mg/kg, representing a six percent decrease from 2020 and a 55 percent reduction from 2014.  The use of antibiotics classified as Highest Priority Critically Important (HPCI) accounted for only 0.4 percent of total antibiotic sales, demonstrating the restraint demonstrated by veterinarians in prescribing antibiotics and specifically, the HPCI class.