GLOBAL – A collaborative effort involving 26 organizations worldwide is currently underway to promote antimicrobial use stewardship and combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the poultry industry.
Spearheaded by the TRANSFORM project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), this initiative aims to implement science-based principles to improve animal health and reduce the reliance on antimicrobials.
These organizations, representing over 140 countries and accounting for more than 40% of the global poultry meat industry, have pledged their support to adopt antimicrobial use stewardship practices.
By implementing these measures, they seek to enhance animal health, minimize the need for antimicrobials, and mitigate the emergence of AMR.
At the farm level, AMR poses significant challenges to producers, hindering disease prevention and containment, thereby increasing production costs and reducing farm productivity.
Moreover, the ramifications of AMR extend beyond the agricultural sector, impacting global health security and gross domestic product (GDP) worldwide.
Drug-resistant diseases are responsible for approximately 700,000 human deaths annually, underscoring the urgent need to address AMR.
Economically, the World Bank estimates that the annual loss of GDP attributable to AMR could range from 1.1% to 3.8% by 2050, potentially plunging an additional 28 million people into poverty.
TRANSFORM operates at the intersection of animal agriculture and human health, addressing critical global health security threats such as AMR.
Led by a consortium of private sector entities including Cargill, the International Poultry Council (IPC), and Heifer International, TRANSFORM adopts a holistic approach to enhance animal health by focusing on market systems that support farmers, driving sustainable change.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently debuted a comprehensive 10-year endeavor aimed at addressing the escalating public health threat of AMR.
Dubbed “Reduce the Need for Antimicrobials on Farms for Sustainable Agrifood Systems Transformation (RENOFARM)” the initiative seeks to provide countries with policy support and technical assistance while fostering capacity-building and knowledge-sharing to minimize the reliance on antibiotics in livestock production.
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