( 2021 — 2025 Year)
Based on the "Biosecurity Law of the People's Republic of China," the "Rural Revitalization Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China," and the "Regulations on Veterinary Drug Administration," as well as guidelines outlined in documents such as the "Opinions of the General Office of the State Council on Promoting High-Quality Development of Animal Husbandry" and the "Three-Year Action Plan for 'Addressing Prohibited Practices, Controlling Drug Residues, and Driving Improvement' of Edible Agricultural Products," this Action Plan has been developed, building upon the nationwide pilot program aimed at reducing the use of antimicrobial veterinary drugs.
I. Objectives of the Action
Focusing on livestock and poultry species such as pigs, laying hens, broilers, meat ducks, dairy cows, beef cattle, and sheep, we will steadily advance the initiative to reduce the use of antimicrobial drugs in veterinary medicine (hereinafter referred to as “ Reduce antibiotic resistance ” ) Action must be taken to effectively enhance the capacity and expertise in the safe, standardized, and scientifically sound use of veterinary antimicrobials throughout livestock and poultry farming. This will ensure that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the nationwide usage of veterinary antimicrobials per ton of animal products continues to decline, while the pass rate of supervised sampling inspections for veterinary drug residues in livestock and poultry products like meat, eggs, and dairy remains consistently above a certain threshold. 98% Above all, the trend of antibiotic resistance in animal-origin bacteria has been effectively curbed.
By the end of 2025, more than 50% of large-scale farms will implement antibiotic-reduction initiatives, establishing comprehensive and rigorously enforced veterinary drug safety-use management systems. This will ensure standardized, science-based medication practices, with full implementation of the prescription-only system for veterinary drugs, mandatory drug withdrawal periods, and a robust "veterinary drug responsible use" commitment program.
II. Action Tasks
(1) Strengthen Comprehensive Oversight of the Veterinary Antibiotics Supply Chain
1. Strengthen regulatory oversight of the production and marketing of veterinary antimicrobial drugs. Strictly implement the "Veterinary Drug Production Quality Management Regulations" 2020 (Revised annually), it is strictly prohibited for veterinary drug manufacturers and distributors to produce or sell antimicrobial feed additives intended for growth promotion. We will intensify quality inspections and random sampling of veterinary antimicrobials, implementing a "testing-and-enforcement linkage" system to rigorously investigate the hidden addition of banned or unauthorized ingredients. Additionally, we will fully enforce the QR-code-based traceability system for veterinary drugs, ensuring that all products are properly coded before being released to the market. Veterinary drug companies must accurately upload all inbound and outbound tracking data into the National Veterinary Drug Traceability System. Meanwhile, we will strengthen the management of active pharmaceutical ingredients to prevent their illegal diversion into animal farming. Finally, we will enhance oversight of online veterinary drug sales platforms and collaborate with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to crack down decisively on the illegal sale of counterfeit or substandard veterinary drugs via the internet.
2. Strengthen regulation of veterinary antimicrobial use. Strengthen regulatory oversight of feed production and trading enterprises, refine testing method standards for detecting illegally added veterinary drug ingredients in feed, and organize targeted monitoring efforts to identify illicit drugs and banned substances. Strictly investigate and address any illegal or non-compliant activities.
Enhance supervision over medication practices at farms and among farmers: Except for anticoccidial agents and traditional Chinese medicine products permitted for use in commercial feeds, the addition of any other veterinary drugs to self-mixed feed is strictly prohibited.
Firmly hold farm operators accountable for adhering to proper medication protocols. Encourage and guide farms to establish comprehensive management systems covering veterinary drug procurement, storage, and usage, while ensuring strict compliance with regulations such as mandatory drug-use records, prescription-only access to certain medications, and adherence to withdrawal periods. Accurately and truthfully document all veterinary drug applications, and categorically forbid off-label or overdosing practices.
Innovate veterinary drug management systems by introducing a "Veterinary Drug Compliance Commitment" program for farms and farmers, making it a key criterion for issuing certificates confirming that livestock and poultry products meet safety and quality standards.
When farms sell livestock, poultry, or their products, relevant authorities must rigorously verify and cross-check farming records—including medication logs—against established animal health inspection protocols.
Intensify enforcement measures: Any violations of medication guidelines will be subject to severe penalties under the law. In cases where criminal activity is suspected, investigations will be promptly referred to public security authorities for legal action. (II) Strengthening Risk Control Over the Use of Veterinary Antibiotics 3. Monitor the use of veterinary antimicrobial drugs. Fully leverage the national veterinary drug product traceability system to monitor and analyze the types, quantities, and distribution channels of antimicrobial drugs used in veterinary medicine, identify emerging trends, and promptly propose targeted preventive measures. 4. Implementing veterinary drug residue monitoring in livestock and poultry products. Based on the actual production conditions within the jurisdiction, develop and implement an annual veterinary drug residue monitoring plan for livestock and poultry products, intensify testing efforts, promptly identify risk factors, and effectively manage residue-related risks. 5. Conduct monitoring of antimicrobial resistance in animal-origin bacteria. Establish a comprehensive laboratory for monitoring antimicrobial resistance in animal-origin bacteria, and strengthen the national surveillance system for such resistance. Develop and implement an annual plan for monitoring antimicrobial resistance in animal-source bacteria, organize and carry out resistance surveillance activities, and enhance the capacity to manage and control related risks. (III) Supporting the Application of Alternative Products to Veterinary Antibiotics 6. Promote the healthy development of the veterinary Chinese medicine industry. Innovatively refine policies governing the approval of veterinary traditional Chinese medicines, establishing a registration system that aligns with the unique characteristics of these products and the realities of industry development. Support "secondary development" of time-tested traditional veterinary TCMs to enhance their efficacy, while streamlining the registration and approval process for compound formulations derived from classic, time-honored prescriptions. Additionally, include veterinary TCM manufacturers within the scope of support for leading agricultural industrial enterprises, enabling them to benefit from policies designed for agricultural product processing. 7. Select and promote alternative products. Organize relevant teaching and research institutions, as well as antibiotic-reduction benchmark farms (and farmers), to conduct screening and evaluation of safe, efficient, and low-residue alternatives to veterinary antimicrobial drugs, guiding farms and farmers in the proper selection of these alternative products. Support the promotion of green farming technologies and product development, and encourage regions to integrate funding from grassroots animal disease prevention subsidies and other related project resources. Additionally, reward farms and farmers that demonstrate strong commitment and significant success in adopting alternative products like traditional Chinese veterinary medicines. 4) Strengthen technical guidance services for reducing the use of antimicrobial drugs in veterinary medicine 8. Strengthen education and awareness campaigns for professionals. Strengthen training and education for farming entities and livestock and veterinary technical service personnel, integrating technical guidelines on reducing the use of antimicrobial drugs in veterinary medicine into the curriculum of high-quality farmer training programs. These guidelines will also serve as a key component of training initiatives aimed at rural veterinarians and grassroots animal disease prevention teams. Additionally, leverage various media channels to widely disseminate public awareness about proper medication practices, rotation strategies, and precision dosing methods, thereby enhancing practitioners' understanding and adherence to responsible drug-use standards. 9. Provide technical services. Implement the public welfare relay campaign "Scientific Use of Veterinary Antimicrobials," leveraging the roles of the China Veterinary Drug Association, the China Animal Husbandry Association, and local industry organizations. Organize and guide veterinary drug manufacturers and distributors, as well as leading livestock farming enterprises, to adopt a "company-to-farmer" approach. Invite experts to visit villages and individual households for on-site technical guidance, systematically promoting scientific medication knowledge and techniques farm by farm and household by household. The goal is to achieve full coverage of technical advisory services for large-scale farms by the end of the 14th Five-Year Plan period. (5) Establish an incentive mechanism to reduce the use of antimicrobial drugs in veterinary medicine 10. Conduct an evaluation of antibiotic reduction effectiveness in farming operations (households). Based on our ministry's pilot evaluation standards for reducing antimicrobial resistance, local areas should establish and refine their own evaluation indicator systems tailored to regional farming practices. They are encouraged to conduct assessments of their progress in reducing antimicrobial use, publicly release lists of farms (and farmers) that meet the criteria, and use these as a key reference when applying to become nationally recognized model farms demonstrating standardized livestock and poultry production. Farms (and farmers) at the provincial level or above that successfully pass the evaluation can display the "Veterinary Antimicrobial Use Reduction Benchmark Farm" label, officially approved by our ministry (details to be announced separately). 11. Promote exemplary models for antibiotic-reduction farming practices. Promptly summarize and distill best practices for reducing antibiotic use in various livestock and poultry breeds, select a group of exemplary farms (or individual farmers) that have successfully implemented these strategies, and promote and showcase their success stories through diverse channels, fully leveraging their role as models to inspire wider adoption. 12. Launch the selection of advanced counties leading in antibiotic-reduction livestock farming. Localities with the necessary conditions are encouraged to implement antibiotic-reduction initiatives county- or township-wide, following the requirements outlined in this plan. Additionally, appropriate rewards will be granted to regions or farms that demonstrate strong progress and achieve high-quality results. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will publicly commend and recognize counties (cities, districts) that effectively advance these efforts and deliver outstanding outcomes in reducing antibiotic use in livestock farming, sharing their success stories through media channels. Furthermore, the progress made in cutting down veterinary antimicrobial usage will be factored into the State Council’s evaluation and assessment of food safety efforts, serving as a key indicator for identifying counties committed to ensuring the safety and quality of agricultural products. 3. Implementation Requirements (1) Work Deployment. 2021 11 The initiative officially kicked off nationwide this month. Each province, tailored to its local conditions, has developed implementation plans for its own region aimed at reducing antibiotic use—approaching the task in a phased, categorized manner, starting with easier steps before moving on to more challenging ones, all while ensuring a well-organized schedule. 2021 By the end of the year, submit the implementation plan to the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau of our ministry. Each county (city, district) should develop a detailed work plan, establishing records for each large-scale farm unit and clearly designating specific persons responsible and contact persons. (II) Organizational Implementation. Provinces should steadily advance the antibiotic-reduction efforts in accordance with the implementation plan for their respective regions, establish a system for monitoring and coordinating progress, strengthen supervision and inspection, promptly address any issues that arise, and report annually. 11 Please report the progress of the livestock and poultry farming antibiotic reduction efforts to our Ministry's Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Bureau by the end of the month. (III) Ensure effective implementation. Based on the actual farming conditions within this jurisdiction and referencing the "Guiding Principles for Reducing the Use of Veterinary Antimicrobials" (attached), guide and encourage farms (and individual farmers) to implement strategies aimed at reducing antimicrobial use in livestock production, while clearly defining specific reduction targets and objectives. Local areas may also, according to their unique circumstances, develop and carry out more stringent action plans with richer, more comprehensive measures to help achieve the goal of nationwide antimicrobial reduction.
Adhering to a problem-oriented approach, focus efforts strategically on key initiatives such as phasing out growth-promoting antimicrobial feed additives and enhancing the veterinary drug QR code traceability system. These targeted efforts will address critical issues head-on, crack down firmly on related illegal and non-compliant activities, and create a strong deterrent effect. (1) Strengthen organizational leadership. All regions must place high priority on this issue, strengthen organizational leadership effectively, and make antimicrobial resistance reduction initiatives a top priority. Establish a dedicated implementation leading group to enhance coordination, provide technical guidance, and mobilize resources, integrate technologies, and rally collective strength—working together to ensure the smooth rollout and effective execution of all relevant policies and measures. (II) Strengthen policy support. Our department will follow the "National Plan for Enhancing Wildlife and Plant Protection Capacity Building Projects." 2017–2025 In the year), actively support the construction of projects related to veterinary drug residue monitoring and antimicrobial resistance surveillance in bacteria isolated from animals. Localities should proactively seek support from departments such as Development and Reform, Finance, and Science & Technology, increasing investment in key tasks associated with the Antibiotic Reduction Initiative to ensure that all measures are effectively implemented and yield tangible results. Where conditions permit, promote the establishment and implementation of subsidy programs for alternative veterinary products, such as traditional Chinese veterinary medicines, aimed at replacing conventional antimicrobial drugs. Additionally, provide policy incentives—such as preferential treatment in agricultural project applications—to farms (or households) that meet the standards set by the Antibiotic Reduction Initiative. (III) Strengthen technical support. Leveraging the technical expertise of the National Expert Committee on Veterinary Drug Residues and Antimicrobial Resistance Control, as well as relevant teaching and research institutions, we will provide specialized guidance for livestock and poultry farming initiatives aimed at reducing antibiotic use. Additionally, we will undertake tasks such as assessing the risks associated with antimicrobial resistance in veterinary medicines, offering risk management strategies, and formulating policy recommendations. We will also strengthen efforts in developing alternative antimicrobial therapies, advancing research into bacterial resistance mechanisms, and refining methods and standards for resistance detection. Furthermore, we will support local areas in establishing expert advisory groups focused on minimizing the use of veterinary antimicrobials, with a particular emphasis on delivering technical consultations, on-site guidance, monitoring and tracking, and conducting thorough evaluations and assessments. Attachment: Guidelines for Reducing the Use of Veterinary Antimicrobials 
