An award-winning Welsh programme that promotes the responsible use of antibiotics in farm livestock will be featured at an international conference in Australia this month.
The pioneering work of the Arwain DGC (Defnydd Gwrthficrobaidd Cyfrifol / Responsible Antimicrobial Use) programme will be among the main presentations at the Australian Veterinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Conference 2023 (AVAMS23).
To be held in Surfers Paradise, on Australia’s Gold Coast, the three-day conference (November 20-22nd) provides those who manage animal health in all sectors “the opportunity to contribute to, and learn about, the growing number of antimicrobial stewardship initiatives underway in Australia and develop collaborative opportunities to strengthen these initiatives and address barriers that impede further progress in antimicrobial stewardship.”
Programme manager Dewi Hughes will tell the conference about Arwain DGC’s work programme to help vets, farmers and horse owners address the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by reducing the need to use antibiotics.
His key take-home message to the conference audience will be how a national integrated programme has been established and delivered to reduce the risk of AMR in livestock and the environment in Wales.
Dewi said,
“It’s great that Arwain DGC is earning international recognition for the innovative work Welsh farmers, vets and industry representatives have achieved with the support of the Welsh Government.
“No doubt one of the programme’s key strengths is bringing people and expertise together to deliver a coordinated approach to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance. As well as sharing our knowledge, we will also learn from others worldwide how to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance, which is recognised as a major global human and animal health threat.”
Other key-note speakers at the conference include Mark Schipp, Australian Chief Veterinary Officer; Shabbir Simjee, Chief Medical Officer at Elanco Animal Health; and Catherine McLaughlin, chair of Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA).
The invitation to take part in AVAMS23 was issued following Arwain DGC’s success at the Antibiotic Guardian 2022 Shared Learning & Awards, which saw the innovative programme’s work recognised alongside that of national and international organisations and companies.
At the awards ceremony last May, Arwain DGC was shortlisted in three categories, named overall winner of the ‘Prescribing & Stewardship’ category, and was highly commended in the ‘Community Communication’ category.
In his invitation to AVAMS23, conference chair Raymond Chia said,
“While the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted global focus to human health, we must continue to focus on making improvements in animal health to minimise the potential risks to animal and human health, such as AMR.
“The efficacy of antimicrobials to treat human bacterial infections, which are a common complication of respiratory diseases such as caused by COVID-19, is more important than it has been in a generation. We must ensure the animal sector is doing all it can to use antimicrobials responsibly to manage animal health and welfare while minimising its contribution to the AMR burden.”
