Together with the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), SIANI is organizing a side-event at the UN Global Committee for Food Security, CFS43. The event will showcase why one cannot justify the non-rational use of antimicrobials (AM) in the livestock production, that there are ways to reduce the use of AM in the sector and maintain healthy and productive animals. For such a change, regulations and policies are not sufficient; instead animal health management alternatives must be provided.
Antimicrobials are needed to keep livestock healthy and productive so the sector can provide food for people. However, non-rational use of antimicrobials (AM) in the livestock sector increases the risk for development of antimicrobial resistance, AMR. As there is a growing concern worldwide in the health sector about the emergence of AMR worldwide it is essential that the livestock sector takes action to reduce the non-rational use of AM.
Sweden has the lowest use of AM per biomass livestock and the lowest frequency of AMR in the EU, still with a livestock-productivity similar to other EU countries. This successful pioneer story has been achieved thanks to close cooperation between farmers, animal health service, industry, research institutions and government agencies. Empirically it is known that policies and regulations are not sufficient, this Side Event will discuss how non-rational use of AM can be replaced by biosecurity and other management measures applicable around the world.
The event will start with some opening remarks from Elizabeth Backteman, State Secretary to the Minister for Rural Affairs followed by a keynote presentation by Ulf Magnusson, Professor at Department of Clinical Sciences, SLU and continue with a panel discussion, Ola Möller, Senior Policy Specialist Agriculture, Sida, Christina Furustam, Expert International Cooperation at the Federation of Swedish Farmers, LRF. The session will be moderated by Cecilia Nordin van Gansberghe, Ambassador, Senior Advisor at the Ministry of Enterprise and Innovation.