Jim Cunningham – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-11-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce instances of antibiotic resistance developing in farmed animals; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice

In September 2013, the government published the UK Five-Year Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Strategy. The strategy sets out three strategic aims to minimise the development of antibiotic resistance and protect human and animal health and welfare.

In December 2014, the Government published the first annual progress report against the UK 5 year AMR Strategy[1]. The report sets out the work underway in each of the seven key areas, more specifically:

– infection, prevention and control,

– education and outreach,

– better access to surveillance data,

– strengthening International collaboration

The report also includes the further measures on animal health to be taken over the next four years to respond to the risk of AMR and to promote the responsible use of antibiotics.

[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/progress-report-on-the-uk-five-year-amr-strategy-2014

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