Regulations on the use of antibiotics on healthy farm animals have been introduced by the European Parliament in an attempt to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance . The legislation , which will come into force by 2018 , bans the use of human reserve antibiotics on animals and also the use of unprescribed animal antimicrobials . Antibiotics are routinely used on farms to prevent or contain disease . At least 25,000 people die each year in Europe from antimicrobial - resistant infections . livestock feeds on factory farms, where farmers routinely use them as a prophylactic against the occurrence or spread of disease. It remains unclear whether the new regulations will be fully applied in the UK following Brexit .
Regulations on the use of antibiotics on healthy farm animals have been introduced by the European Parliament in an attempt to combat the spread of antibiotic resistance . The legislation , which will come into force by 2018 , bans the use of human reserve antibiotics on animals and also the use of unprescribed animal antimicrobials . Antibiotics are routinely used on farms to prevent or contain disease . At least 25,000 people die each year in Europe from antimicrobial - resistant infections . It remains unclear whether the new regulations will be fully applied in the UK following Brexit .