A One Health Certified program developed in the United States is being used by a Canadian team of researchers to delve into antibiotic resistance and its impact on disease prevention, veterinary care, responsible antibiotic use, animal welfare and the environment.
The Canadian team involves people from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and Health Canada.
In the U.S. the program is administered by the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education (NIAMRRE).
The benefit for those who follow the protocols is certification that is a demonstration to the public that they are farming and processing food responsibly.
“Antimicrobial resistance is a real problem for human health, for public health,” Dr. Ed Topp, research scientist at AAFC and project coordinator, said in an interview with Farms.com.
“The majority of antibiotics (used in Canada) are used in food animal production,” Topp said.
“There’s concern that there’s development of resistance in these production systems and then people are exposed to these new resistant bacteria through consumption of meat or through exposure to contaminated environments,” he said.
