Antibiotic use in Norwegian cattle and pig production

The objective of this study was to quantify the use of antibiotics in Norwegian cattle and pig production using the Defined Daily Dose for cattle and pigs (DDDvet), which is a standardised unit of measurement for reporting data on antibiotic use. DDDvet units account for differences in dosing across species, substances, and routes of administration, and as such provide better insight into the exposure of species to antibiotics. To date, this quantification unit has not been used in Norway. The objective of this paper is therefore to determine the antibiotic use in DDDvet in Norwegian cattle and pig production and compare this measure to the currently used measure, mg/PCU (Population Correction Unit).), combined with the defined daily dose per species as defined by EMA, and used standard livestock weights. In Norway, the average DDDvet in cattle and pig production in 2021 was 0.9 and 3.8 per 1,000 animal-days, respectively. Compared to the antibiotic use reported in other European countries, the use is very low.