DAIRY FARMERS are being asked to respond to a new survey on antimicrobials – and the regulations that are increasingly limiting their use on-farm.

It is well acknowledged that antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a serious threat to both human health and food security, and science has drawn a clear link between antimicrobial usage in animals and the emergence of bugs with resistance to these treatments.

As a consequence, many international and national regulations and guidelines are emerging to reduce antimicrobial usage on farm. Most recently, a new European regulation that will ban preventive use of antibiotics – i.e blanket dry cow therapy – has been accepted and will be applied in 2022. In addition, the Red Tractor farm accreditation scheme is set to publish new standards concerning medicine use in November 2021.

Against this background, it is important to have a good understanding of how antimicrobials are used in livestock production, as well as stakeholder beliefs relating to their use. To that end, the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary medicine and Lidl are carrying out a research project investigating farmers’ awareness of AMR, identifying factors influencing dairy farmer decisions about AM use, and looking at the barriers and motivators to uptake of best practice recommendations.

Glasgow Uni's Elena Borelli said: "To date, this is the first study investigating farmers’ beliefs and how antimicrobials are used specifically on Scottish dairy farms. Dairy farmers play a critical role in ensuring animal health and product safety and their contribution to this debate is essential.

"However, they may feel constrained by regulatory and economic challenges when looking to implement farm management strategies that reduce AM use – do they need more support from the industry and their advisors? Answering this survey is an opportunity share their valuable expertise and inform future policy."

The link to the farmer survey can be found at https://glasgow-research.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/amr

All the responses collected will be anonymous – but a prize draw will be held, with four participants winning a £25 Lidl voucher.