The Commission’s new “Guidelines for the prudent use of antimicrobials in veterinary medicine” state that antibiotics overuse has resulted in the emergence and spread of resistant microorganisms resulting in the death of 25,000 patients and costing €1.5bn in healthcare across the EU each year.

To tackle the problem, the document makes recommendations to member states for their management of animal health in the agri-food chain.

The guidelines suggest avoiding the preventative use of antimicrobial medicines on a large scale, especially on pig and poultry farms, where the document states the prophylactic use of such drugs on eggs or newborn animals should be stopped.

Instead, the Commission recommends vaccination programmes as well as stricter separation and movement controls to fight diseases.

The document makes similar recommendations against mass use of antibiotics in cattle and sheep. In relation to the drugs used against mastitis, the guidelines recommend “avoiding the systematic treatment of cows at drying-off, and considering and implementing alternative measures on a case-by-case basis”.