Event | Ensuring responsible antimicrobial use in EU food production

MEP Interest Group on AMR Annual Meeting
29 June 2021 | 15:00 - 17:30 CEST

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The overuse of antimicrobials in agriculture and aquaculture, alongside human medicine, is a major concern globally; it contributes to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – a major health threat. Resistant microorganisms can develop, spread to the environment and contaminate the food chain – this poses a serious threat to healthcare as common infections are becoming increasingly difficult to treat.

Thanks to improved good practice in biosecurity, prevention, and surveillance, there has been growing progress in the EU in promoting the responsible use of antimicrobials in food production. The latest ESVAC report showed that sales of antibiotics for animal use in Europe fell by more than 34% between 2011-2018.

The EU’s Farm to Fork Strategy aims to further decrease antimicrobial sales for farmed animals and in aquaculture by 50% by 2030; this will be supported by the Regulations on Veterinary Medicinal Products and Medicated Feed. This legislation is hailed as the most ambitious framework for more prudent and responsible use of antimicrobials in food production, and will be the main focus for the 2021 Annual Meeting of the MEP Interest Group on AMR.

A leading network of 18 MEPs committed to boosting actions to tackle AMR at EU level, the Interest Group will convene on 29 June to discuss opportunities for the transition to a sustainable model of food production that ensures responsible antimicrobial use and contributes to the global response to tackling AMR.

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