Impacts• Veterinary overuse of antimicrobials contributes to the selection and spread of antimicrobial resistance which poses a public health risk.• A series of events and discoveries of significant reservoirs of antimicrobial resistant pathogens in the Netherlands resulted in a successful collaboration between government and stakeholders to reduce antimicrobial use in farm animals.• Total use of antimicrobials in farm animals in the Netherlands decreased with 56% in the period 2007-2012.