Increasing antimicrobial resistance could lead to “ at least ” one million deaths each year and the problem could " kill us before climate change does ” , the UK government ’s outgoing chief medical advisor , Professor Dame Sally , told Sky News . As the UK seeks to forge its own post-Brexit international trade deals, Dame Sally expressed serious concerns about countries outside of the EU who use antibiotics in animal farming "at dramatically high levels". With around 70 % of the world 's antibiotics currently given to farm animals , Dame Sally argued the UK " should not be importing beef or other animals where antibiotics have been used ” . The UK has made significant progress over the past ten years , Dame Sally noted , cutting antibiotic use in animals by 40 % and by 91 % in chickens .
Increasing antimicrobial resistance could lead to “ at least ” one million deaths each year and the problem could " kill us before climate change does ” , the UK government ’s outgoing chief medical advisor , Professor Dame Sally , told Sky News . With around 70 % of the world 's antibiotics currently given to farm animals , Dame Sally argued the UK " should not be importing beef or other animals where antibiotics have been used ” . The UK has made significant progress over the past ten years , Dame Sally noted , cutting antibiotic use in animals by 40 % and by 91 % in chickens .