This dataset consists of faecally-contaminated samples taken from the environment around pre-weaned calves on 51 farms in South-West England during 2017/2018 and is a subset of a larger dataset investigating antibiotic resistance in E. coli across 53 farms. The samples were analysed for presence of E. coli resistant to amoxicillin, streptomycin, cephalexin, tetracycline and/or ciprofloxacin. Management factors deemed related to pre-weaned calves are included, including antibiotic usage data at farm level.