The second European Sales and Use of Antimicrobials for Veterinary Medicine (ESUAvet) annual surveillance report for 2024 is now published, with data from the EU, Iceland and Norway. Alongside this report, ESUAvet is launching a new interactive dashboard.
End of the downward trend?
In 2024, 98% of total sales of veterinary antimicrobials were for food-producing animals. Compared to 2023, EU sales for these animals increased by 5.1%, while the estimated EU biomass remained approximately the same. According to the report, ‘the overall declining trend observed between 2010 and 2022 may be slowing down or reversing,’ while more data will be needed ‘to determine whether this reflects a lasting shift or a temporary fluctuation’ (e.g. stockpiling, disease outbreaks or changes in animal population).
Food-producing animals: use slightly on the increase
In Europe, the sales of antimicrobials for food-producing animals reached an average of 46.1 mg/kg (up from 43.8 mg/kg in 2023), with a considerable difference between reporting countries, ranging from 1.8 mg/kg to 112.9 mg/kg. An increase in antimicrobial exposure was observed in 21 out of the 29 declaring countries. Penicillins (34.2%) and tetracyclines (22%) remained the most sold antimicrobial classes in the EU in 2024, followed by macrolides (9.3%).
Companion animals: a drop in use compared to 2023
Antibiotic sales for pets (and other non-food animals) showed an average exposure of 34.3 mg/kg. Here, too, a large difference was observed between countries, ranging from 10.6 mg/kg to 107.3 mg/kg. This sector saw a drop in exposure (-8.2%) compared to 2023, due to a combined drop in sales and an increase in the number of pets. Around 45% of volumes sold for pets contained amoxicillin/clavulanate.