Farming sector aims to cut antibiotics use to help tackle human resistance

Taskforce from UK's pig, dairy and poultry farming sectors will aim to bring down use seen as major cause of increasing antibiotic resistance

Farming organisations have set new targets to reduce the use of antibiotics in raising animals for food, in an effort to cut the widespread overuse that has been blamed as a significant factor in increasing medicinal resistance among humans.

The chief medical officer for England, Dame Sally Davies, has repeatedly said that the rapidly increasing resistance to antibiotics and the rise of resistant "superbugs" is one of the greatest threats to human health, which could make even routine operations life-threatening in future.