World leaders gather at the UN to plan concerted action, as UK's Food Standards Agency publishes report on the threat posed by 'AMR'
Signalling the high level of concern that the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) now commands, the UN convened a special summit of world leaders (only its 4th ever on a health issue) to agree a plan of action.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said the spread of infections that are resistant to antimicrobial medicines is 'a fundamental, long-term threat to human health, sustainable food production and development.'
The heads of state committed to taking a broad, coordinated approach to address the root causes of AMR across multiple sectors, especially human health, animal health and agriculture.
Underlining the relevance of food and farming to the problem, the UK Food Standards Agency published a report (available here) to coincide with the UN summit. It noted that by 2050, AMR could be causing the deaths of 10 million people a year across the world. The urgency of the problem was highlighted a few weeks ago when antibiotic-resistant strains of E.coli were found in 24% of chicken samples from UK supermarkets.
Professor Guy Poppy, the FSA’s Chief Scientific Adviser, said, 'While the problem cannot be eliminated, its development can be slowed. We need a holistic approach throughout the food supply chain, and to understand how a whole range of practices, such as how we care for farm animals, handle food or irrigate crops, might affect the spread of antimicrobial resistance to our food, and ultimately to us.'
Sustain co-founded the Alliance to Save our Antibiotics, a coalition of health, farming and environmental organisations which is calling for a ban on the routine preventative use of antibiotics in groups of healthy animals. Read more about the campaign here.
Published Friday 23 September 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
