When you get sick, your first thought might be to get antibiotics from your doctor. However, what you may not realise is that this seemingly small decision can have huge consequences on the health of both your specific community and society as a whole. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, including antibiotics, is causing a growing problem called antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR can lead to the failure of our most important medicines. It is estimated that infections caused by resistant germs kill one person every minute. Without global action, this number is set to rise.

Every time we use antimicrobials to treat infections - in people, animals and plants - these germs have a chance to adapt to the treatment, making those medicines less effective over time. This means that if antimicrobials are used too frequently, the germs causing the infection may become resistant to the treatment and these antimicrobials will no longer work. To add to the problem, these resistant germs can cross borders and continents, spreading between people, animals and the environment. This can result in contamination our food systems and market chains, moving from farms to our tables. Because of this, the world’s farmers have a key role in fighting AMR.