Antibiotics play a crucial role in treating disease in farm animals and plants, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in releasing an “action plan” to promote prudent use of antimicrobials. “Their use is essential to food security, to our well-being and to animal welfare,” said the FAO, but the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics is a threat to human health.
The FAO plan highlights work in four areas: increased awareness of antimicrobial resistance; improved surveillance for cases of antibiotic resistance and monitoring of antibiotic use in agriculture; stronger governance over antibiotic use and incidents of antibiotic resistance; and promoting practices that reduce the need for antibiotics and careful use of them when they are needed. The goal is the adoption of national strategies on antibiotic resistance by mid-2017, said FAO.
More than 60,000 tonnes of antimicrobials are used in the livestock sector annually, said FAO. Usage is expected to rise in step with growing world demand for meat. An international study estimates that the animal production sector will account for two-thirds of the rise in antimicrobial use in coming years.
The United Nations is scheduled to hold a high-level meeting to discuss antibiotic resistance on Wednesday in New York. “The primary objective of the meeting is to summon and maintain strong national, regional and international political commitment in addressing antimicrobial resistance comprehensively and multisectorally, and to increase and improve awareness of antimicrobial resistance,” say the UN.