IPC pledges to study livestock antibiotic resistance

The International Poultry Council is pledging to make a coordinated effort to address antibiotic resistance in animal agriculture.

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Yurii Bukhanovskyi, Bigstock
Yurii Bukhanovskyi, Bigstock

The International Poultry Council (IPC) is pledging to make a coordinated effort to address antibiotic resistance in animal agriculture.

On October 20, the international poultry association announced it is planning to release a comprehensive report on the issue in several months. In a release, the association said at a recent meeting in Portugal, delegates representing more than 20 poultry producing countries discussed antimicrobial resistance at length and decided to take action.

In a statement, IPC Secretary-General Marilia Rangel Campos said the organization’s antimicrobial resistance group will review the research and global concerns surrounding the issue “in order to develop a document that contains specific recommendations on a path forward for the global poultry industry.”

 “The International Poultry Council shares the public’s concern about antibiotic resistance, which is an issue of global significance,” Jim Sumner, president of the IPC and the USA Poultry & Egg Export Council, said in a statement. “IPC recognizes the need for collaborative efforts among governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and the poultry sector to minimize the development and transfer of antibiotic resistance.”

At the Portugal meeting, IPC members said it’s their obligation to keep animals healthy and disease free and antibiotics are a key part of maintaining animal health. Sumner said the global poultry industry must adopt responsible antibiotics use policies in order to preserve the tool’s effectiveness.

“It’s important that our industry maintain access to these forms of treatment, to ensure that they are used responsibly under veterinary supervision, and only when necessary,” he said. “Responsible use of antibiotics when treating not only poultry but all livestock is critical to minimize agriculture’s potential contribution to antibiotic resistance.”

The IPC has monitored the issue for years and issued a position statement on antibiotics usage in poultry in 2015. The recent United Nations meeting on antimicrobial resistance increased global interest in the issue.

The release said, Rangel, Sumner and other IPC representatives met with new World Organization for Animal Health Director-General Dr. Monique Eliot this week to discuss and reaffirm the IPC’s commitment to responsible antibiotics use and veterinary practices to ensure the safety of the global food supply.

 

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