EW Nutrition’s One Health–Antimicrobial Resistance Campaign
As part of the One Health AMR campaign, EW Nutrition, in collaboration with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) organized a virtual event on 27th November titled “Pledge towards Antibiotic Free Meat & Poultry”.
Speakers from diverse backgrounds came together to share their experience on curbing the rising challenge of AMR and mitigating its harmful effects.
EW Nutrition, in its effort to reduce the use of antibiotics in animal production has, for long, supported the Indian livestock industry with its holistic, science-backed solutions. This event was part of the organisation’s long-term vision of combating the risks associated with AMR.
Delivering the opening speech, Dr. Praveen Malik, Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy spoke on various aspects of microbial resistance and presented India’s roadmap, including the efforts that the Government of India is making to address this enormous challenge.
Dr. Vijay Pal Singh, Joint Director, FSSAI, explained in detail the role of regulators such as FSSAI in focusing AMR-related
efforts. He emphasized the practical impediments and roadblocks which need to be addressed to bring the situation under control.
Keynote speaker, Johanne Ellis-Iverson, Head of Group, Senior Advisor, National Food Institute Technical University of
Denmark (DTU) and International Center for Antimicrobial Resistance Solution (ICARS), Denmark, shared insights on the spread of antimicrobial resistance, as evidenced by historical data collected through various reputed sources.
Prof. Jaap Wagenaar, Professor of Clinical Infectiology, University of Utrecht, Netherlands, shared the reversible course of antimicrobial resistance when drastic anti-AMR measures were taken in European countries. He shared best practices in broiler operations in the Netherlands and highlighted various mitigation methods employed to lower antimicrobial resistance.
Dr. Anders Miki Bojeson, Prof. of Preventive Veterinary Microbiology, Dept. of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Denmark, spoke on the mechanism of spread of antimicrobial resistance and the steps which can be adopted to curb this silent epidemic.
Dr. Shirish Nigam, Regional Director, EW Nutrition South Asia, shared the EWN perspective on curbing AMR and highlighted the efforts of his organization, as well as EW Nutrition’s customer-centered solutions. He also shared an interesting case study on the economic impact of AMR on the country’s economy, as well as its financial implications.
The programme was moderated by Arabind Das, Co-Chariman, CII National Committee on Agriculture and Allied Sector. He shared CII’s perspectives and initiatives to generate awareness on AMR.
The event was attended by key industry stakeholders–technical consultants, university professors, farm managers, integrators etc.