The launch of the guidelines on monitoring antimicrobial use at the farm level

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH, founded as OIE) are organizing a webinar to be streamed on WOAH YouTube (click on the link to get reminder) from 14.00 (UTC +7) on 12 February 2024 to launch a new publication, guidelines on monitoring antimicrobial use (AMU) at the farm level.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major health threat to humans, animals, plants and the environment. The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in animal production, including in aquaculture are key drivers of AMR.

WOAH has been collecting data on antimicrobial agents intended for use in animals, mainly coming from national sales and imports records of antimicrobials, from its members since 2015. To complement this information and improve decision-making, farm-level antimicrobial use (AMU) data are needed, as it allows for better understanding of how antimicrobials are used in the field.

Therefore, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP), the WOAH Regional Representation for Asia and the Pacific (WOAH RRAP) and the WOAH Sub-Regional Representation for South-East Asia (WOAH SRR-SEA) developed joint guidelines on monitoring antimicrobial use at the farm level.

The guidelines provide detailed guidance on establishing a farm-level AMU monitoring system:

• conducting a situational analysis
  
• establishing an operational mechanism
  
• technical preparation
  

The recommendations cover both terrestrial and aquatic food-producing animals and consider the wide range of AMU monitoring capacities in Asia and the Pacific and beyond. The target users of these guidelines are the competent authorities, research institutions and agrifood industry actors who plan to develop or improve an AMU monitoring system at the farm level.

This publication is part of a collection of regional guidelines on monitoring and surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), antimicrobial use, antimicrobial residues in food and agriculture initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (FAO RAP).

This publication was produced with kind technical and funding assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Webcast