University of Bristol Veterinary School receives its award in the Agriculture & Food category.

AMR Task Force wins in the agriculture & food category

An antimicrobial resistance research initiative led by vets at the University of Bristol scooped top honours at the Antibiotic Guardian Awards.

Led by Dr Kristen Reyher, The ‘AMR Force’, programme won first prize in the agriculture and food category. The British Poultry Council and Wayland Farms were also highly commended.

The category - a first for the annual awards ceremony - attracted 16 retailers, universities, independent businesses and farmers, with nine scoring enough to be shortlisted by the judges. The wins in other categories were more focused on healthcare.

Now in its third year, the Antibiotic Guardian Awards celebrate organisations and individuals who have shown achievements in tackling antimicrobial resistance at a local, regional or national level. The campaign is led by Public Health England in collaboration with Defra and professional bodies.

Chief medical officer Dame Sally Davies opened the awards by acknowledging the antibiotic achievements of the poultry meat and pig sectors.

The Prescribing & Stewardship award went to the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliance for its ‘Target Task Force’ initiative - a cross-sector collaboration between vets and farmers to identify baseline antibiotic usage. RUMA also scooped the Community Communications award for its #ColostrumIsGold campaign - an initiative to cut the need for antibiotics in neonatal and older animals through improved colostrum management.

Collecting the awards on behalf of RUMA, Amy Jackson said: “The last two years have been incredibly hard work for all involved in engaging the farming industry with the issue of antibiotic resistance. But tonight’s event, including the number of entries from farming and the quality of the shortlists, shows the progress we’ve made.

“The discussion really has moved on from ‘who is to blame’, to ‘what can we do?’, and the best practice on show will help us all take a truly One Health approach in the future.”

Image (C) RUMA