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Use of antimicrobials in animal health on the island of Ireland

Project title

Use of antimicrobials in animal health on the island of Ireland: knowledge, attitudes and behaviour

Objective

Using a bottom-up and behaviour-based approach to identify a range of solutions that can be put into practice to try and reduce antimicrobial use for animal health management.

More detailed description of the issue the project hope to address & how it plans to tackle this

Antimicrobials have been used in farming for decades, indicating habitual behavioural patterns which are socially and culturally ingrained. Identifying behavioural patterns and understanding the factors shaping behaviour, as well as potential resistance to change can inform behavioural interventions to tackle the overuse or misuse of antimicrobials on farms. Bringing together psychologists, sociologists, veterinarians and animal health scientists, this 2-year project supports an interdisciplinary approach to understanding farmers’ and veterinarians’ behaviour. An in-depth literature review will explore behavioural patterns on the island of Ireland with regard to farm-level antimicrobial usage and use of alternatives to antimicrobials. The COM-B behaviour change model will be used in the current study to identify the myriad of behavioural influences on microbial usage as well as the barriers which may be preventing prudent use. Participatory Learning and Action methods have been shown to be effective in introducing new practices at farm level; in the current project, multi-actor participatory workshops will help inform intervention development. The combination of approaches will ensure a holistic, systematic and bottom-up approach to intervention design. Research impact will be delivered through a portfolio of practice-ready solutions which can be used to reduce antimicrobial usage and encourage alternative strategies for animal health management.

Project Partners

Teagasc

Áine Regan, Rural Economy & Development Programme, Mellows Campus, Athenry

Áine Macken-Walsh, Rural Economy & Development Programme, Mellows Campus, Athenry

Edgar Garcia Manzanilla, Pig Development Department, Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Centre, Teagasc, Moorepark

Alison Burrell, Rural Economy & Development Programme, Mellows Campus, Athenry

Queen’s University Belfast

Moira Dean, Institute for Global Food Security

Claire McKernan, Institute for Global Food Security

Tony Benson, Institute for Global Food Security

University College Dublin

Conor McAloon, UCD School of Veterinary Medicine

Hannah Martin, UCD School of Veterinary Medicine

Funding

The safefood AMU project is funded by safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board, under Fund No. 04-2018