Vets committed to tackling AMR, says BVA
BVA says it is "not complacent" about the role of veterinary medicine in AMR.
Former president of the BVA, Peter Jones, yesterday reassured parliamentarians that vets are committed to the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Appearing before the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on antibiotics, Mr Jones said the veterinary profession remains committed to one health and "the need for the medical and veterinary professions to work together to tackle AMR."
While the biggest cause of human resistance is the overuse and misuse of antibiotics in human medicine, the BVA is "not complacent" about the part played by antibiotic use in veterinary medicine.
Along with its specialist divisions, the BVA is working on a plan to deliver the government's five-year AMR strategy from a veterinary perspective.
“One of our key aims for the strategy will be to promote the importance of evidence-based responsible use among both vets and their clients," Mr Jones explained.
"We are already encouraging education on minimising resistance and principles of responsible use through engagement with the veterinary schools and other stakeholders, and through our own continuing professional development (CPD) programme."
The BVA is also updating its responsible use guidance for the profession, while the association's species divisions continue their work on tailoring advice to particular sectors.
It has agreed in principle to the recording and reporting of antibiotic use and will consider how to encourage this, as well as how to measure and admit usage and how to assess prescribing habits.
Such measures will allow resistance development and any progress made in addressing the problem to be tracked.
Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
