7 Oct 2021
Welsh project Arwain DGC (Defnydd Gwrthfaicrobaidd Cyfrifol) Cymru aims to be at the forefront of efforts to prevent spread of antimicrobial resistance in the country.
Paul Imrie
Job Title
Veterinary surgeon Eleri Davies (right), of Farm First Vets, with farmer Cath Godfrey from The Artha Farm, Tregare, Monmouthshire.
A project has launched to help efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in Wales.
Arwain DGC (Defnydd Gwrthfaicrobaidd Cyfrifol) Cymru says it hopes to be at the forefront of moves to prevent the spread of AMR, with a schedule of collaborative activities planned.
Welsh agricultural stakeholders – including Welsh Lamb and Beef Products (WLBP), the Welsh Agricultural Organisation Society, academic institutions the University of Bristol and Aberystwyth University School of Veterinary Science, and veterinary delivery partners Iechyd Da and Milfeddygon Gogledd Cymru – are all collaborating on plans to tackle AMR.
Aligned to the Welsh Government’s five-year AMR in Animals and the Environment Implementation Plan (2019-24), Arwain DGC will build on work from an earlier pilot project called Arwain Vet Cymru, which focused on antibiotic prescribing in cattle and sheep through a Wales-wide network of prescribing champions.
The project is led by Menter a Busnes (MaB), with each partner responsible for special elements to deliver.
MaB animal health services manager Dewi Hughes said: “We look forward to working with our partners and stakeholders in trialling and developing new techniques to control and manage the use of antimicrobials to help safeguard their future use for animals and humans.”
Robert Smith, of Iechyd Da, said: “Iechyd Da’s projects within the scheme include the development of a biosecurity app for vets and collecting syndromic surveillance data from member practices in Wales in collaboration with the Welsh Veterinary Science Centre.
“Member practices will also actively participate in the further development of the Veterinary Prescribing Champions Network and assist with the collection of on-farm samples to understand the relationship between AMR and antimicrobial use on Welsh farms.”
