Factors affecting dairy farmers ’ attitudes towards antimicrobial medicine usage in 1 cattle in England and Wales

11 There has been growing concern about bacterial resistance to antimicrobials in the farmed 12 livestock sector. Attention has turned to sub-optimal use of antimicrobials as a driver of 13 resistance. Recent reviews have identified a lack of data on the pattern of antimicrobial use 14 as an impediment to the design of measures to tackle this growing problem. This paper 15 reports on a study that explored use of antibiotics by dairy farmers and factors influencing 16 their decision-making around this usage. 17 We found that respondents had either recently reduced their use of antibiotics, or planned to 18 do so. Advice from their veterinarian was instrumental in this. Over 70% thought reducing 19 antibiotic usage would be a good thing to do. The most influential source of information used 20 was their own veterinarian. Some 50% were unaware of the available guidelines on use in 21 cattle production. However, 97% thought it important to keep treatment records. 22