To Ban or Not to Ban: The UK 's Hamlet Moment With Farm Antibiotics

Journal article

This article applies the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) to examine post‐Brexit antimicrobial resistance (AMR) governance in UK agriculture, focusing on the contested regulation of prophylactic antibiotic use in farm animals. The study reveals how Brexit created a structural policy window, yet political and ideological dynamics rendered it functionally ineffective. While the problem and policy streams were well developed—supported by strong scientific evidence and viable alternatives—the politics stream, shaped by narratives of sovereignty, deregulation, and trade competitiveness, consistently blocked reform. The paper introduces the concept of a “meta‐policy window” and shows how evidence was strategically mobilized rather than uniformly accepted. This case demonstrates how ideological filtering and institutional ambiguity can constrain policy change, even in moments of apparent opportunity. It contributes to policy theory by refining MSF for complex, post‐crisis environments and offers broader lessons on evidence use, regulatory drift, and the politics of inaction. Related Articles: Bache, Ian. 2025. “The Multiple Streams Framework and Non‐Politicized Issues: The Case of Assisted Dying/Assisted Suicide.” Politics and Policy 53(19): e70016. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.70016. Angervil, G. 2021. “A Comprehensive Application of Kingdon's Multiple Streams Framework: An Analysis of the Obama Administration's No Child Left Behind Waiver Policy.” Politics and Policy 49, no. 5: 980–1020. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12432. Peterson, Holly L., Mark K. McBeth, and Michael D. Jones. 2020. “Policy Process Theory for Rural Studies: Navigating Context and Generalization in Rural Policy.” Politics and Policy 48(4): 576–617. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12366.

Authors: Asiamah, G

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Politics & Policy
• Volume: 53
• Issue: 6
• Article number: e70079
• Publication date: 2025-11-11
• Acceptance date: 2025-09-03
• DOI: 10.1111/polp.70079
• EISSN: 1747-1346
• ISSN: 1555-5623
• Language: English
• Keywords: regulatory governance; antibióticos agrícolas; 农场抗生素; RAM; Brexit; multiple streams framework; gobernanza regulatoria; 抗菌药物耐药性; 英国脱欧; marco de múltiples flujos; 监管治理; AMR; 多源流框架; farm antibiotics