FAO India in collaboration with the Indian Council for Agriculture Research (ICAR) organized and facilitated a virtual meeting with representatives of the poultry industry and related organizations on September 22, 2020. This meeting was conducted with the aim of raising awareness of the poultry industry on the rational use of antimicrobial agents to minimize resistance to the same.  

The meeting was inaugurated by Dr BN Tripathy, Deputy Director General (DDG) (Animal Sciences), ICMR. Key speakers were:  Dr Praveen Malik, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Government of India; Dr Rajesh Bhatia, FAO India;  Dr Sanjeev Kumar, Acting Director, Central Avian Research Institute (ICAR-CARI), Dr Jyoti Mistri, Principal Scientist, ICAR, New Delhi;  Dr N. K. Mahajan, Ex Dean, Lala Lajpat Rai  University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS) Hisar; Dr Vijay Pal Singh, Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), New Delhi, and Dr Ajit Singh Yadav, Principal Scientist, ICAR-CARI, Izatnagar 

Several representatives of the poultry industry and allied organizations shared their experiences and informed the audience about substantial reduction in the use of antimicrobial agents in the poultry industry. They highlighted this, especially in the context of critical antibiotics for human use including Colistin.

The meeting deliberations emphasized the relevance of strengthening surveillance on  AMR in a systematic way to assess its magnitude. The meeting participants called for the formulation of a task force at national level for AMR in the poultry industry. They further recommended need for research on alternatives to antibiotics such as herbal products for immunity boosters to use in poultry sector. The need for mass awareness programmes for small scale poultry farmers, provision of more diagnostic laboratories, and national efforts that promote the judicious use of antibiotics for improved hygiene and biosecurity of poultry farms were also highlighted.