March 24, 2016

FDA to fund researches on antimicrobial use in food animals

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is ready to fund researches to support the collection of data on antimicrobial use in animal agriculture, it was learned from the North American Meat Institute.

The funded data-collection efforts would provide needed information on antimicrobial-use practices in the major food-producing animal groups--cattle, swine and poultry--and to gather information on data-collection methodologies to help optimise long-term strategies for collecting and reporting such data.

The data would advance the National Action Plan for Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria's objective to enhance monitoring of antibiotic usage and management practices in food-producing animals.

The data obtained will specifically help gauge the success of antibiotic stewardship efforts and guide their continued evolution and optimization, and assess associations between antibiotic-use practices and resistance, among others.

Deadline for applications for funding is June 24.