Antibiotics in Norwegian farming: meat and fish (2024 figures)

Updated October 2026

Norway has some of the lowest antibiotic use in farm animals and farmed fish in Europe. That matters, because overuse of antibiotics in animals helps antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread. Here are the latest figures.

Bar chart of antibiotic use in food-producing animals in Europe (EMA 2014), with Norway the lowest — Antibiotic use in food-producing animals in 29 European countries, New Zealand and Australia, 2014 (EMA; R. Condron, IDF 2016). For Norway, use is shown with and without fish.

Our original 2019 article used this 2014 chart, sourced from Animalia. Norway has stayed among the lowest users in Europe since, and the latest Norwegian surveillance report (NORM-VET 2024) shows:

Farmed fish: 709kg of antibiotics in 2024 for the whole sector. That is 0.43mg per kilo of fish, down 99% from the 1987 peak, mainly thanks to vaccines.
Salmon and trout farms: only 2.1% of on-growing sites needed any antibiotic treatment in 2024.
Farm animals: sales of antibiotics for land animals were the lowest ever recorded, and products for mass treatment of herds were only 3% of sales.

Source: NORM-VET 2024, Norwegian Veterinary Institute.

Why Norway’s use is so low

Norway’s farming industry has worked for decades to keep antibiotic use and resistance low. Fish are vaccinated, animal health is closely monitored, and antibiotics are prescription-only and recorded. When fish are treated, they must go through a withdrawal period before harvest, so the medicine has left their system.

What this means for what we sell

Frøya salmon and our frozen Atlantic salmon come from Norwegian farms covered by these rules.
Hofseth rainbow trout: Hofseth says its trout is raised without antibiotics.
Ramoen cod and saba mackerel are wild-caught, so no antibiotics are involved.

We don’t sell meat. We have kept this article because the same rules and the same low antibiotic use apply to Norwegian fish.

Frequently asked questions

Does Norwegian salmon contain antibiotics?

Antibiotic use in Norwegian salmon farming is very low: in 2024 only 2.1% of salmon and trout farms needed any treatment. Treated fish must go through a withdrawal period before harvest.

Why does low antibiotic use matter?

Heavy antibiotic use in animals helps resistant bacteria develop and spread to people. Low use keeps resistance low.

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