2024 annual report on the sale of veterinary antimicrobials in Ireland

The HPRA has released its yearly report on the sale of antimicrobials used in animals. Collecting and publishing this data is required by European veterinary medicines legislation, which aims to address the public health issue of antibiotic resistance. This information helps us understand the volume and types of veterinary antibiotics sold every year. 

In 2024, approximately 76 tonnes of antibiotics for animals were sold in Ireland. This is similar to the amounts sold in 2022 and 2023. While this indicates a slowdown in the decline of sales year-on-year, significant progress has been made in reducing the volume of sales since 2018. 

This progress is a result of the work done under Ireland’s National Action Plans on Antimicrobial Resistance (iNAP1 and iNAP2), and changes to the rules around how vets can prescribe and supply these medicines.

However, the 2024 numbers show that continued efforts are needed to further reduce the volume of antibiotics sold.