Antimicrobial Resistance – the threat to health, and the need for antibiotic stewardship in the farming sector

Medact, the Royal Society of Medicine and the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics would like to invite you to a day seminar on Thursday 30 October at the Royal Society of Medicine. While the medical and human health community is fast recognising the need for greater antibiotic stewardship in the human health care setting and for more investment in the development of new diagnostics and antimicrobials, there is less awareness of the issues concerning antibiotic use in the farm sector. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the health community needs to more actively scrutinise the development and implementation of appropriate antibiotic stewardship in the farming sector; as well as to ensure that other associated livestock farming practices are safe and non-threatening to current and future human health, as well as to ecological sustainability. To facilitate the health community’s engagement with these issues, we have organised a seminar and discussion, with a range of top class speakers, specifically on the use of antibiotics in livestock farming. This is an invitation-only meeting. Please book your place online before 24/10/2014. If you would like to attend, or nominate someone in your place, please contact Lalitha Bhagavatheeswaran at [email protected].

Session 1

10.00 am Registration   Tea and coffee will be served   10.30 am Welcome and introductions   Mr Babulal Sethia, President, Royal Society of Medicine   10.35 am Introduction – the threat of antimicrobial resistance   Professor Mike Turner, Head of Infection and Immuno-biology, Wellcome Trust   10.45 am Livestock associated MRSA: A case study in antimicrobial resistance found in agriculture   Dr Mark Holmes MA, VetMB, PhD, Reader in Microbial Genomics and Veterinary Science, University of Cambridge, Dept of Veterinary Medicine   11.05 am Environmental drivers of antimicrobial resistance   Dr Will Gaze, Molecular Microbial Ecologist, University of Exeter 11.25 am Antimicrobial resistance and the need to reduce farm antibiotic use   Dr Coilin Nunan, Principal Scientific Advisor, Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics   11.55 am The medical reality – antimicrobial resistance and sepsis   Dr Ron Daniels, Consultant in Critical Care, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust; Chair: UK Sepsis Trust; CEO: Global Sepsis Alliance   12.15 pm Q&A, discussion   1.00 pm Lunch

Session 2

Chair: Dr Gabriel Scally, University of West of England 1.45 pm The UK government 5 year AMR strategy – update   Professor John Watson, Deputy Chief Medical Officer, and Professor Peter Borriello, Chief Executive, Veterinary Medicines Directorate   2.05 pm A challenge to the UK govt from Sweden – new opportunities for reduction   Sven-Erik Bucht, Minister for Rural Affairs, Sweden (Video)   2.15 pm Reduction of farm antibiotic use – how it is being achieved in The Netherlands   Hetty van Beers-Schreurs, Director, The Netherlands Veterinary Medicines Authority (SDa)   2.45 pm Reduction in Denmark   Jorgen Schlundt, Director, National Food Institute, Denmark Technical University   3.15 pm Antimicrobial resistance – risk assessment from a German perspective   Mr Martin Eikenberg, Director of the Institute for General Hygiene, Bremen 3.35 pm Q&A, discussion   4.10 pm Tea/Coffee break   4.30 pm Discussion – ways forward   Chair: Dr David McCoy, Director, Medact   4.45 pm Close of meeting