Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent the overuse of antibiotics on farm animals.

In September 2013 the Government published the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy 2013 to 2018 which is led by the Department of Health, Public Health England and Defra. An annual progress report and implementation plan for the strategy is due for publication in November. This report will describe progress in implementing the strategy. It will include the further measures on animal health to be taken over the next four years to respond to the risk of AMR and to promote the responsible use of antibiotics.