Parliamentarians urged to encourage enhanced biosecurity and animal disease prevention to curb antimicrobial resistance
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing and urgent threat to human and animal health, food security, and economic resilience, with agencies reporting that it could result in up to 39 million human deaths between 2025 and 2050 if no action is taken. But as the 2024 United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Navigating New Horizons report warns, the consequences of AMR extend well beyond healthcare, posing serious risks to sustainable development, food systems, reducing poverty, and environmental protection.
Targeted recommendations for policymakers to tackle AMR
A policy brief titled “Key actions to curb antimicrobial resistance: policy brief for parliamentarians“, published earlier this year by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Health Organization (WHO), UNEP, and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) presents targeted recommendations for lawmakers and policymakers to tackle AMR both nationally and globally. The brief highlights how the misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, combined with weak healthcare systems, limited access to veterinary care, certain farming practices, and environmental contamination, are accelerating the spread of AMR across human, animal, agricultural, and environmental sectors. It also reviews current international efforts to address AMR and identifies existing gaps that need to be filled.
To support effective action, the document recommends practical steps, including enhancing legislation, securing adequate funding, improving multisectoral collaboration, and increasing public awareness. It emphasises the importance of a “One Health” approach, which brings together human, animal, and environmental health sectors to ensure a coordinated and science-based response.
How can parliamentarians concretely contribute to curbing AMR?
The brief encourages parliamentarians and lawmakers to promote the use of the Quadripartite One Health Legislative Assessment Tool, which helps identify legislative gaps related to antimicrobial resistance in their countries. Based on these assessments, they should support comprehensive legislation that clearly defines obligations and responsibilities across all relevant sectors.
Such legislation should promote the rational use and safe disposal of antimicrobials in human, animal, and plant health. It should also include measures to reduce the circulation of substandard and falsified medicines, as well as to lower the demand for antimicrobials by enhancing animal and plant health systems, improving disease resilience, and limiting the release of pharmaceutical residues into the environment. Aside from ensuring quality-assured healthcare for infectious diseases at both community and hospital levels, key areas of legislative focus, as indicated in the brief, include improving access to veterinary services and promoting good agricultural practices, including biosecurity and animal welfare.
The importance of One Health strategies, policies and legislation
Vaccination strategies are not only recommended for human infectious diseases but also for diseases in both aquatic and terrestrial food-producing animals, especially those on the WOAH priority list. Strengthening biosecurity measures, improving legislation on animal and plant health, and promoting good agricultural and husbandry practices are also recommended to further reduce antimicrobial use. This is alongside investing in education programmes for farmers and providing training for veterinarians and veterinary extension workers on preventive measures, biosecurity, antimicrobial use, vaccination, and environmental aspects of AMR. Governments are encouraged to also offer financial incentives, such as grants and subsidies, to urge farmers and food companies to follow standard antibiotic use practices and adopt alternative methods.
Lastly, the brief recommends that agricultural legislation include environmental protections to reduce the release of antimicrobials from animal farming and crop production into the environment, helping to curb the spread of AMR. Beyond their national duties, parliamentarians can play a crucial role in shaping regional and global agendas on antimicrobial resistance. By actively participating in international networks, they can help build political momentum across borders. In a world where AMR knows no borders, their presence in key global forums, including ministerial meetings on AMR and regional summits, allows them to amplify their voice and influence high-level decisions.