16 December 2025
The release of the second annual report under the ESUAvet framework marks a significant milestone in veterinary surveillance. Covering data from 29 nations (27 EU Member States, Iceland, and Norway), the 2024 report is the first to enforce mandatory reporting of antimicrobial use by specific animal species, specifically cattle, pigs, chickens, and turkeys.
Chickens: The total biomass for chickens across the reporting countries in 2024 stood at 17.5 million tonnes, representing a marginal decrease of 0.72% compared to 2023. The population is heavily skewed towards meat production, with broilers comprising 93.9% of the biomass and laying hens accounting for the remaining 6.1%.
To ensure statistical accuracy, the analysis focused on 13 countries that achieved a data coverage rate of ≥90%.
Penicillins emerged as the most frequently used antimicrobial class in six of the analyzed countries. Other significant classes included Macrolides, Tetracyclines, and Sulfonamides.
Treatment in the chicken sector is characterized almost exclusively by group medication. Oral solutions administered via drinking water accounted for 82.5% to 100% of total antimicrobial use in 11 out of the 12 countries analyzed in depth.
Turkeys: The total biomass for the turkey sector (fattening turkeys) was reported at 2.2 million tonnes, a decrease of 1.9% year-over-year. Data quality for turkeys was robust, with 15 countries achieving ≥90% coverage. A notable finding in the 2024 data is that four nations, Estonia, Greece, Iceland, and Latvia, reported zero antimicrobial use in turkeys.
Similar to the trends observed in chickens, Penicillins were the primary class used (ranking top in 7 countries), followed by Tetracyclines, Macrolides, and Pleuromutilins.
The administration pattern mirrors the chicken sector, with the vast majority of treatments delivered via oral solutions. In most countries, this route accounted for over 91.8% of total usage.
