Animal Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2021

• Programme of events for Animal Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week. Please note these dates are subject to change.
• Webinar Registration

Animal Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week is a week of interesting webinars and educational podcasts under the theme of ‘Sustainability for the Future’. The two primary aims of the week are to raise awareness within the agrifood industry of 1. the importance of optimal animal health in the prompt detection of exotic disease outbreaks so that they can be brought under control quickly, and 2. the threat to public and animal health of antimicrobial resistance, and the importance of prudent antimicrobial use.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine held Ireland’s first ever Animal Health Awareness Day (AHAD) on the 28 November 2019, with the support of several industry stakeholders and third level institutions, including the Irish Farmers Association (IFA), Teagasc, Animal Health Ireland (AHI), the School of Veterinary Medicine at UCD, Veterinary Ireland and the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF). It was the result of recommendations of a review of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s early warning surveillance system to detect an emerging or re-emerging disease by raising awareness of the importance of good animal health to farmers, the livestock industry and the wider economy. Important messages around animal health and disease were successfully communicated to a large number of stakeholders through a combination of digital media and more traditional communication methods. Following on from the success of AHAD, this Department organised a second event in 2020: Animal Health Awareness Week (AHAW), which took place from November 23rd to 28th last year.

This year, European Antibiotic Awareness Day (EAAD) is Thursday, November 18th, 2021, which also marks the start of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW).

World Antimicrobial Awareness Week (WAAW) is organised jointly by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The theme for 2021 is ‘Spread Awareness, Stop Resistance’. The overarching WAAW slogan continues to be 'Antimicrobials: Handle with Care'. WAAW is held from November 18th to 24th every year. The WAAW 2021 campaign calls on stakeholders, including policymakers, health care providers, and the general public, to recognize that everyone can be an Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Awareness champion. Participants are encouraged to spread awareness about what AMR is, share stories about its consequences, and demonstrate how the actions of individuals, families, professionals, and communities affect the spread of AMR.

Following and building on the success of the Animal Health Awareness events in 2019 and 2020, and given the interconnectivity between good animal health and reduced antimicrobial usage in agriculture, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has decided to combine the themes of enhanced animal health and reduced antimicrobial usage for 2021 Animal Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness week ‘Sustainability for the Future’. The Department are pleased to announce that Animal Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2021 will take place from Thursday, November 18th to Wednesday, November 24th, to coincide with WAAW 2021. The event will feature webinars, podcast appearances, and a social media campaign, as well as interviews on local radio.

Keep track of this day and upcoming events via the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s website, twitter feed @AGRICULTURE_IE and our Facebook posts on the Department’s account.

Over the past two years we have all seen, at a very personal level, the impact that diseases can have on our lives. Being conscious of our own health helps to make us even more conscious of the importance of health for our animals, our land and our planet.

Ireland is an island on the edge of Europe, and that location helps us to remain free from many of the animal diseases which affect other countries. This is very important to our entire agricultural sector. Everyone has their own part to play in maintaining our positive health status as a country. The Animal Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week reminds us of the importance of what’s at stake- and encourages everyone to play their part. Good animal health and welfare are inextricably linked with efficient livestock production which is the cornerstone of ensuring our livestock farming continues to be the most sustainable in the world.

Ireland exports the majority of its agrifood products, and livestock farming is a key provider of these exports. Having healthy animals helps farming and the agrifood industry to prosper in a variety of ways:

• Healthier animals are more efficient animals. Healthy animals produce milk, meat, eggs, etc more efficiently. Less sickness and lower mortality rates also mean there is more livestock produce with lower levels of greenhouse gases produced, improving the sustainability of farming.

• Healthier animals are happier animals. The robust health and good welfare of our animals is a major selling point for Irish food internationally.

• Ireland is free of many devastating livestock diseases. Thankfully, we’ve managed to avoid outbreaks of Bluetongue Virus, African Swine Fever, Newcastle Disease and other ailments that have devastated animal populations elsewhere. Such outbreaks can be devastating for the farmers whose herds and flocks are affected, and very costly for the taxpayer. Having robust systems in place to ensure continued freedom helps to provide assurance for both farmers and agrifood companies, allowing them to plan ahead with confidence. We all need to be vigilant to avoid outbreaks of major, highly contagious diseases into the future.

• Agrifood products are traded to other countries on the basis of certificates agreed between the chief veterinary officers of exporting and importing countries. Many of these certificates require freedom from certain diseases to be demonstrated. The fewer diseases and the lower the levels of disease present in a country, the easier it is to retain existing markets and to access new ones.

• Human health and animal health are closely linked. We cannot safeguard public health without paying close attention to animal health.

• Drug resistance: Antimicrobials are drugs used to treat diseases caused by micro-organisms and include all antibiotics. Anthelminthics are drugs used to treat diseases caused by parasitic worms. Overuse or unnecessary use of antimicrobials and anthelminthics in treating or controlling animal disease can lead to drug resistance problems, which can have severe consequences for both animal health and public health. Antimicrobial resistance is believed to be one of the greatest crises facing our generation. Better management of animal health and herd health reduces the need for antimicrobials and so reduces the risk of development of antimicrobial resistant strains of bacteria in our herds and flocks

• Maintain a closed herd: avoid buying in livestock where possible.

• Avoid sharing equipment and vehicles between farms, and if unavoidable, clean and disinfect equipment between use.

• Adopt a proactive approach to maintaining high standards of animal health.

• A practical way of doing this is to engage with your local veterinary practitioner to put an effective herd health programme for your herd in place.

• Where appropriate use vaccines to enhance animals’ immunity to the pathogens they are likely to be exposed to and affected by.

• Adopt husbandry practices to minimise stress to animals and optimise nutrition.

• Use anthelminthics and antimicrobials appropriately and where necessary, according to the advice of a veterinarian. Ensure animals receive sufficient dosages for the recommended course.

• Maintain good fences around the perimeter of your farm, and take appropriate measures to protect farmed animals from wildlife

• Avoid purchasing livestock from countries with higher disease risks.

• Avoid feeding kitchen or catering waste to farmed animals.

• Practice good biosecurity- consider how diseases might come into your farm and keep them out.

• Become familiar with the signs of exotic and notifiable diseases, and report such diseases promptly if suspected.

• Ask the vet to refer carcases and samples to the Department's Regional Veterinary Laboratories, especially in cases of disease or mortality with no clear diagnosis or cause. Unexpected/ atypical clusters of cases should always be followed up.

For further information about any of the events due to take place during Animal Health and Antimicrobial Resistance Awareness Week 2021, please contact ahsurveillance@agriculture.gov.ie.

We all benefit from good animal health, so let’s all play our part.