FAO: new plan to counter antimicrobial resistance

The silent global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) highly impacts the agri-food sector, QU Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) warned today while presenting FAO’s new five-year plan to help Members tackle the challenge.

A new FAO Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance 2021-2025, will be a guide for FAO’s support to its Members. It notes that because resistant microbes cross borders, a global effort is the only way to assure everyone is protected.

Among its key principles are

• the need for science-based evidence to identify and manage AMR risks before they become large-scale emergencies,
• the utility of surveillance and training around the world,
• the importance of incentivizing and empowering stakeholders to transform awareness of AMR risks into action.

The Action Plan follows a One Health approach and points to various possible improvements in agriculture practices to better control AMR, from good nutrition for people and animals, vaccination, hygiene, sanitation and genetics, among other areas. Another key focus is in managing waste, as antimicrobials discharged from humans and animals as well as hospitals and abattoirs can enter the environment and speed up the emergence and spread of resistant strains and genes. The plan calls for more AMR-related research and surveillance in the crop, aquaculture and environment sectors.