The UN Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform (MSPP) for tackling antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has published a policy brief that calls for stronger integration of animal welfare into AMR governance.
The brief, entitled Embedding animal welfare in the IPEA mandate: a One Health imperative for curbing antimicrobial resistance (AMR), was developed by the Action Group on Animal Welfare (AMR Nexus), a coalition led by the World Federation for Animals (WFA).
The coalition also includes health and animal welfare organisations, including FOUR PAWS, Ethical Seafood Research Group and Brooke Action for Working Horses and Donkeys, as well as academic institutions like the International Livestock Research Institute. National governments, including Barbados and the United Kingdom also participated, with the European Union acting as an observer.
IPEA launch
The brief was published ahead of the establishment of the Independent Panel on Evidence for Action against AMR (IPEA), which was mandated by the 2024 UN General Assembly political declaration on AMR and is expected to be launched later in 2025 by the FAO, UNEP, WHO, and WOAH.
As it notes, a significant share of antimicrobials worldwide is still administered to farmed animals – in many cases as a preventative measure in intensive farming – with predictions that this use could increase 30% by 2040 compared with 2019.
This overuse is contributing to antimicrobial resistance in humans, an issue that has been highlighted by the WHO.
‘Reduce over-reliance’
“Improved animal welfare in agrifood systems lowers the need for overuse of antimicrobials – a key contributor to AMR in humans,” commented Dr Masika Sophie, global health policy manager at World Federation for Animals. “With global antimicrobial use in livestock predicted to increase, synthesis and application of this evidence is vital to reduce over-reliance.
“We are launching this paper now, in advance of the global multi-stakeholder consultative process for the establishment of IPEA, so that UN member states have the tools to take a science-based and holistic approach to prevention, to advance animal, human and environmental health.” Read more here.
