The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation has pledged to help countries develop strategies for tackling the spread of antimicrobial resistance in their food supply chains.
The FAO wants to help governments prepare to debate the emerging challenge posed by medicine-resistant "superbugs" next week at the UN General Assembly.
The increased use – and abuse – of antimicrobial medicines in both human and animal healthcare has contributed to an increase in the number of disease-causing microbes that are resistant to medicines traditionally used to treat them, like antibiotics.
The significant risk to human health posed by "antimicrobial resistance" (AMR) and its connection to and impact on agriculture will be discussed at a high-level UN event on September 21st in New York.
The misuse of drugs, associated with the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant micro-organisms, places everyone at great risk, the FAO has said.
With much attention justifiably focused on exposure to AMR pathogens in hospitals and similar settings, the presence of AMR microorganisms in farming systems represents another vector – the food we eat, FAO stressed.
And in addition to public health risks, AMR has implications for both food safety and food security and the economic wellbeing of millions of farming households across the globe.
FAO's four key areas for action in food and agriculture
• Improving awareness of AMR issues among farmers and producers, veterinary professionals and authorities, policymakers, and food consumers
• Building national capacities for surveillance and monitoring of AMR and antimicrobial use (AMU) in food and agriculture
• Strengthening governance related to AMU and AMR in food and agriculture
• Promoting good practices in food and agricultural systems and the prudent use of antimicrobials
The FAO is aiming to help governments put in place national strategies for tackling AMR and AMU in their food and agricultural sectors by mid-2017.
AMR, food and agriculture
As a result of economic expansion and population growth over the past 50 years, food production methods have intensified, resulting in an increase in the use of antimicrobials in agriculture.
These medicines are used to treat animals that are already sick, or to prevent diseases from spreading further within a flock or on a farm.
In addition to livestock, they are now employed in aquaculture – fish farms – in the same way.
In some cases – albeit to a lesser degree – antimicrobial substances are spread on plant crops.
Additionally, antimicrobials are added in low concentrations to animal feed as a way to stimulate growth – a practice that is increasingly discouraged but still relatively common.
Estimated global antimicrobial consumption in the livestock sector current runs over 60,000 tonnes per year.
With demand for animal-sourced food products projected to grow steadily over the coming decades, the use of antimicrobials will continue to rise, FAO says.
Two-thirds of the estimated future expansion of antimicrobial usage is expected to occur within the animal production sector, with use in pigs and poultry is set to double, according one international study published by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
Challenges and needs
The FAO has stressed that the fundamental way to address AMR in food and agriculture is to ensure that farm and food systems adhere to best practices for hygiene, biosecurity, and animal care and handling.
This reduces the need for antimicrobial medicines in the first place - as does vaccinating farm animals to build their natural ability to withstand disease.
Another key need is the lack of a global, standardized approach to data used to track the use of antimicrobials in livestock.
The UK-government's O'Neill commission report, for instance, found that only 42 countries have such systems in place.
Risks from AMR in agriculture are higher in countries where laws, regulations and monitoring systems are weak.
Building national capacities in this regard is a priority focus for FAO.
More research and development into alternatives to antimicrobials and antibiotics in food and agriculture is also needed, the FAO says.
