The AMR Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Platform (MSPP) continues to advance integrated One Health action across key policy processes with the release of a new policy brief developed by the Action Group on Animal Welfare - AMR Nexus on “Embedding Animal Welfare in IPEA’s Mandate: A One Health Imperative for Reducing AMR.”
The policy brief presents science-based recommendations on the role of animal welfare for the work of the Independent Panel on Evidence for Action against AMR (IPEA).
The 2024 UN General Assembly political declaration on AMR, requested the Quadripartite organizations to establish the IPEA to facilitate the generation and use of multisectoral, scientific evidence to support Member States in efforts to tackle AMR. Once established, the IPEA will play a central role in evidence synthesis, supporting governments to translate science into policy. Therefore, making the inclusion of animal welfare in the priorities of the future IPEA is a timely and necessary step.
A science-driven approach to reduce AMR through animal welfare
The paper highlights how improved animal welfare can reduce infection risk and minimise the dependence on antimicrobials in farmed animals, particularly in intensive production systems. As the projected global antimicrobial use for livestock could increase by 30% by 2040, animal welfare could become a key strategy to ensure animal health and productivity of our agrifood systems.
Some of the key findings included in the paper are:
- The use of antimicrobials for growth promotion and in healthy animals for disease prevention are still a common practice in many countries
- Better animal welfare practices in management, nutrition, housing and handling conditions lower disease emergence and
- spread risk
- Integrating animal welfare is essential to successful and sustainable One Health strategies
Policy recommendations for IPEA
In the policy brief, the Animal Welfare-AMR Nexus Action Group outlines three priority actions;
- Integrate animal welfare expertise into IPEA’s scope of work;
- Provide scientific evidence to help recognize animal welfare as a cornerstone of prevention strategies in AMR mitigation policy, programming and implementation.
- Translate scientific evidence into applied recommendations to help governments integrate animal welfare as one of the key priority actions into National Action Plans on AMR.
A call to UN Member States and the global AMR community
The position paper serves as a call to action for UN Member States and all stakeholders involved in AMR governance to embrace a more holistic and welfare-inclusive approach to prevention, while also advancing animal, human and environmental health.
The release of the paper comes at a critical moment preceding the multistakeholder consultative process for the establishment of IPEA.
Read the full policy brief here.
For more information, contact: AMR-Platform@fao.org or masika.sophie@wfa.org
About the Animal Welfare-AMR Nexus Action Group
The policy brief has been prepared by the Animal Welfare-AMR Nexus Action Group. This group is led by the World Federation for Animals and supported by FOUR PAWS, Action for Animal Health, Animals Australia and Ethical Seafood Research Group.
The Animal Welfare-AMR Nexus Action Group is led by the World Federation for Animals and includes the following organizations:
- Animal Welfare League
- AMREF International University
- Animals Australia
- Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)
- Government of Barbados
- China Animal Health and Food Safety Alliance (CAFA)
- Compassion in World Farming
- Ethical Seafood Research Group
- Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE)
- FOUR PAWS
- Global AMR R&D Hub
- Government of St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Health for Animals
- Humane Society International
- India Veterinary Association
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
- International Student One Health Alliance (ISOHA)
- Kibaha Education Centre (Tanzania)
- Mercy for Animals
- One Health Alliance
- One Health Center Sudan
- Stockholm International Water Institute
- Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU)
- Action for Animal Health
- The University of the West Indies
- United Kingdom
- University of Guelph
- University of KwaZulu-Natal
- Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto
- World Animal Protection
- World Federation for Animals
- World Veterinary Association (WVA)
- Observer: European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)