Hoard's Dairyman:
Responsible antibiotic use remains the focus
January 19, 2026
By Jamie Jonker, Chief Science Officer and Vice President, Sustainability & Scientific Affairs
Reducing drug residues isn’t just about compliance, it’s also about mastering the science of prevention to combat the greater challenge — antimicrobial resistance. The dairy industry saw a small uptick in drug residues found in milk in 2025, but industry efforts continue to support producers by educating on and evaluating proper antibiotic use in dairy cattle.
Keeping track of residues
Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites no longer respond to medicines, which could increase the spread of infections or even death. Milk or meat residues could add to the threat of antimicrobial resistance, but judicious use of antibiotics can help minimize resistance and lower risk of residues occurring.
In order to keep track of and help reduce drug residues, and to ensure the sanitary quality of Grade “A” milk and milk products shipped in interstate commerce, the Food and Drug Administration in collaboration with the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments created the National Milk Drug Residue Database (NMDRD) in 1991. This voluntary effort helps dairy farmers show industry-wide commitment to providing consumers with dairy products they can trust.
According to the 2025 NMDRD report released in December, more than 3.2 million bulk milk pickup tankers were tested from October 2024 to September 2025, yielding 206 (one in every 15,860 milk trucks) positive samples. This is a slight uptick from 2024 with only 196 positive samples (one in every 17,080 milk trucks). The number of samples tested, which includes tankers, packaged products, producer samples, and reported positive grew from from 301 in 2024 to 307 in 2025. It’s important to note that any milk or milk product found with a drug residue violation is destroyed and not sold to the public.
Despite the small bump in the number of positive samples, the overall percentage of milk samples that tested positive for antibiotic residues in 2025 remains among the lowest recorded levels since the NMDRD was created. U.S. dairy farmers remain committed to producing safe, high-quality milk.
Preventing and reducing milk residues
Dairy farmers and their employees work alongside veterinarians to develop treatment protocols that ensure prudent and responsible antibiotic use. This includes proper use of approved drugs and adhering to withdrawal times. Established protocols give herd managers and employees guidelines for administering treatments, which can reduce residues from occurring. Accurate, current, and well-documented treatment logs also help reduce risk.
Farmers can use resources created by the National Dairy Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Program to help guide on-farm decisions. The FARM Program supports producers in their commitment to antibiotic stewardship in two of its program areas.
The FARM Animal Care Program, which captures more than 99% of the U.S. milk supply, implements standards surrounding herd health and antibiotic protocols. Program standards require a written Herd Health Plan for participating farms. This emphasizes the importance of prevention and timely decision making on necessary treatment of all sick or injured dairy cattle on the farm. Participating farms are required to establish and maintain a Veterinarian Client Patient Relationship with annual renewed documentation. During an evaluation, evaluators review the farm’s treatment records to support and ensure proper use of antibiotics for treating dairy cattle.
As part of FARM Animal Care, the Antibiotic Stewardship Program collaborates with industry partners to publish the biennial Milk & Dairy Beef Drug Residue Prevention Manual. This resource serves as an informational guide for drugs approved for use in dairy animals and can also be used as an educational tool to develop on-farm best management practices. An updated manual will be available later this summer.
The FARM Program, through its educational efforts, advances its mission to help ensure the success of the entire dairy industry by demonstrating U.S. dairy farmers are committed to producing high quality, safe milk with integrity.
To learn more about FARM’s mission, visit nationaldairyfarm.com.
This column originally appeared in Hoard’s Dairyman Intel on Jan. 19, 2026.
