The Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine is announcing its 2022 Summary Report on Antimicrobials Sold or Distributed for Use in Food-Producing Animals. Some highlights from the report:

• There has been a 35% decrease in domestic sales and distribution of medically important antimicrobial drugs since 2015.
• Medically important sales and distribution by species:
  • 41% estimated for use in cattle.
  • 43% estimated for use in swine.
  • 12% estimated for use in turkeys.
  • 2% estimated for use in chickens.
  • 2% estimated for use in other species/unknown.
• For chicken, medically important estimated annual totals are:
  • 2016 – 508,800 kilograms.
  • 2017 – 268,047 kilograms.
  • 2018 – 221,774 kilograms.
  • 2019 – 192,964 kilograms.
  • 2020 – 141,793 kilograms.
  • 2021 – 158,342 kilograms.
  • 2022 – 152,350 kilograms.
    • There has been a 4% reduction between 2021 and 2022.
    • There has been a 70% reduction between 2016 and 2022.
• There was almost a 4% decrease in non-medically important antibiotics marketed to all species between 2021 and 2022.
• There was a 12% decrease in non-medically important antibiotics marketed to chickens between 2021 and 2022.

Source: National Chicken Council