Guidance

Understanding the mg/PCU calculation used for antibiotic monitoring in food producing animals

Guidance for vets, farmers and animal keepers on what the mg/PCU means and how it is calculated.

• From: Veterinary Medicines Directorate
• Published: 28 December 2016

Documents

Understanding the PCU guidance

Ref: #1101060

PDF, 988 KB, 2 pages

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Details

The mg/PCU is a unit of measurement developed by the European Medicines Agency to monitor antibiotic use and sales across Europe, which has also been adopted by the UK in its national reports.

PCU refers to the ‘Population Correction Unit’ and takes into account the animal population as well as the estimated weight of each particular animal at the time of treatment with antibiotics.

This guide aims to describe the mg/PCU calculation in simple terms, and also includes an explanation and description of the animal weights used.

Published 28 December 2016