Farmers and vets are being urged to fill in a short online survey about how they use antibiotics for human medicine, and their views on the issues around them, including antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
A few weeks ago, a group of high profile medics, including Chief Medical Officer Dame Sally Davies, visited one of the country’s top indoor pig farms to learn about how the industry uses antibiotics.
The visit, organised by the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) alliance and the National Pig Association (NPA), was a response to calls by the medical profession for a ban on the routine preventative mass medication of animals.
The visit, widely viewed from both sides as a success, was very much in the spirit of the One Health agenda where the human medicine and veterinary professions work in partnership to address issues like antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Since the meeting, the NPA has been contacted by one of those who attended, a researcher from Kingston University, with a request for help from the human medicine side.
One of his students is carrying out research into how vets, medics, themselves, and farmers use antibiotics, and their understanding and opinions around how they are used, their safety and AMR. The researcher needs more responses to an online survey from the farming and veterinary professions.
The survey, which only takes about 5-10 minutes, can be accessed here