AMU-FARM

Antimicrobial use on farms: A multi-actor, user-centred approach to measuring and changing behaviour

The AMU-FARM Project is an inter-disciplinary collaboration between Teagasc, Animal Health Ireland and Queen’s University Belfast. The project objective is to test and validate novel, evidence-based strategies to support the Irish agricultural sector to transition towards reduced antimicrobial use. This is achieved through two strands of work: (1) trial and validate methods of antimicrobial use data collection on dairy farms to support on-going surveillance and (2) pilot and evaluate a ‘Conversations for Change’ training programme for advisors and vets.

Conversations for Change

Conversations for Change is a communication skills training programme developed for animal health professionals and advisors. It aims to support shared understanding, collaboration and decision-making between farmer-facing professionals and farming clients. The skills training in evidence-based communication techniques  helps farmer-facing professionals work through challenging topics with farming clients and have effective conversations about change. Conversations for Change Training is supported by and based on behaviour change theory, psychological practice, the Motivation, Action and Prompts (MAP) Model of Behaviour Change and the principles of motivational interviewing. The behaviour change intervention which forms the scientific basis for the Conversations for Change initiative was developed out of an inter-disciplinary collaboration between psychologists and animal health and veterinary scientists in the safefood-funded Antimicrobial Resistance Project. Conversations for Change has been piloted and evaluated within the AMU-FARM project.

• Conversations for Change Brochure (pdf)
• Animal Health Ireland Conversations for Change Training

Publications

• Burrell, A., & Gribben, L. (2023). Motivational interviewing in veterinary practice. Veterinary Ireland Journal, 13(9), 482-484.
• Gribben, L., & Burrell, A. (2023). The MAP model: Approaching behaviour change conversations on farm. Veterinary Ireland Journal, 13(2), 81-83.
• Martin, H., Garcia Manzanilla, E., More, S. J., O’Neill, L., Bradford, L., Carty, C. I., Collins, Á. B., & McAloon, C. G. (2020). Current antimicrobial use in farm animals in the Republic of Ireland. Irish Veterinary Journal, 73(11).
• Martin, H., Garcia Manzanilla, E., More, S. J., Hyde, R., & McAloon, C. (2024). Quantification of antimicrobial use on Irish dairy farms: A comparison of three recording methods. Journal of Dairy Science. Advance online publication: https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-24688.
• Martin, H., Gribben, L., Regan, Á., Garcia Manzanilla, E., McAloon, C. G., & Burrell, A. M. G. (2024). Recording antimicrobial use on Irish dairy farms: Barriers and facilitators to using technology and sharing data. Journal of Dairy Science, 107(7), 5001-5015.
• Regan, Á., Burrell, A., McKernan, C, Martin, H., Benson, T., McAloon, C., Manzanilla, E., & Dean, M. (2023). Behaviour change interventions for responsible antimicrobial use on farms. Irish Veterinary Journal, 76, 8.

Project Partners

• Laura Gribben, Walsh Scholar, Teagasc and Queen’s University Belfast
• Hannah Martin, Walsh Scholar, Teagasc and University College Dublin
• Áine Regan, Teagasc
• Alison Burrell, Animal Health Ireland
• Moira Dean, Queen’s University Belfast
• Conor McAloon, University College Dublin
• Edgar Garcia Manzanilla, Teagasc

Funding

AMU-FARM is funded through the Teagasc Walsh Scholarship Programme with additional funding provided by Animal Health Ireland.