Urban and peri-urban farming 2017

SLU Global in the midst of the fight against antimicrobial resistance

In early 2017, SLU Global, together with the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock (GASL), arranged a scoping workshop about how to mitigate the emergence of antimicrobial resistance in the global livestock sector. The workshop gathered livestock farmers, United Nations (UN) officials and veterinarians from 15 countries from all over the world. The use of antimicrobials in livestock farming is increasing in many parts of the world, as both cure and prevention. The increase of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) threatens both human and animal health. During the meeting in Uppsala, a practical plan was developed for farmers across the world on how to use fewer antibiotics with maintained productivity: Livestock antimicrobial partnership (LAMP) – addressing antimicrobial resistance by supporting healthy and productive livestock.

At the large multi-stakeholder platform meeting of GASL in Addis Ababa, the LAMP was endorsed as an action network and SLU Global was commissioned to host the LAMP network. The network complements the overarching international normative and regulatory initiatives by governments and international organisations, by promoting best practises at farm level.

In many parts of the world, farmers can buy and use antibiotics without consulting qualified veterinary experts. This contributes to the development of resistance to antibiotics. Photo: Gunilla Ström 

In autumn, SLU Global representatives were invited to the Swedish multi-stakeholder meeting “Antibiotika forum” and the International Dairy Federation Summit as keynote speakers to talk about antimicrobial use and resistance in the livestock sector in low-income countries.

At the end of the year, SLU Global was approached by the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) regarding practical means to reduce the use of antimicrobials in animal husbandry. FAO assigned SLU Global to develop a practical manual on how to use antimicrobials in a prudent and effective way in animal husbandry and how to run workshops for colleagues from Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia.

SLU Global leads the Animal Health flagship in the CGIAR research programme on livestock

In the 11 multidisciplinary CGIAR* research programmes, there are just a few universities involved as strategic partners, such as the London School of Tropical Hygiene and Medicine, Wageningen University and SLU. In the livestock programme, SLU is the only university that is a core partner The assignment to lead the animal health activities is an acknowledgement of SLU’s high competence in livestock health and long experience in working with low-income countries, as well as an acknowledgement of SLU Global’s administrative capacity. Besides leading the animal health flagship, colleagues from SLU are also contributing to the feed and forage, and genetics activities within this research programme. SLU Global has, for instance, been running training courses in Addis Ababa for veterinarians on how to conduct post mortem examinations on sheep and goats in the field.