12 August 2008

2 minute read

Europe

The emergence of antimicrobial resistance as a serious problem in human and veterinary medicine has led to increasing concern about the use of antibiotics in human medicine, veterinary medicine, animal production, agriculture and horticulture.

The revised Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance Strategy outlines a programme of work that will further the government’s knowledge about the mechanisms and transfer of antimicrobial resistance, and detecting the emergence and spread of resistant clones. The strategy also outlines requirements for further research.

This programme addresses issues identified by the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food (ACMSF) in its 1999 report on antimicrobial resistance.

Strategy for Controlling and Implementing a Programme of Surveillance for Antibiotic Resistance in Animals in England and Wales revised in July 2008 can be obtained from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate web site (www.vmd.gov.uk) by clicking here.

Welcoming the publication, Lord Rooker, Defra Minister for Sustainable Food, Farming and Animal Health said, "Revision of this strategy underlines the importance that the Government places on obtaining all the information necessary to enable us to tackle the development of antimicrobial resistance effectively and share up to date information with stakeholders."

The government has also published a document detailing the successes and outputs to meet the seven objectives of the strategy since 2004.

This document, Success and Output from the Surveillance Strategy Document as of July 2008, can be found on the same web site by clicking here.

TheCattleSite News Desk