Joint antimicrobial resistance report published

Thursday 12 July 2007

A major overview of the information on antimicrobial resistance in bacteria in farmed animals, people, and food is published today by a group of Government agencies and departments, including the FSA, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department of Health.

Antimicrobial resistance is the ability of organisms to resist antimicrobials, such as antibiotics, which are used to treat infections in people or animals. The report includes information on usage of antimicrobials and antimicrobial resistance, and reflects the work that is being undertaken to monitor antimicrobial resistance in bacteria across a number of sectors, including the food chain.

The report is the first joint report on this topic in the UK and is a result of recommendations from the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food that the organisations responsible for monitoring antimicrobial resistance in animals, people and food, should work together to produce a report summarising antibiotic resistance in the food chain in the UK.

The FSA contributed data on the types and amounts of foods of animal origin bought in the UK and the antimicrobial resistance of isolates of campylobacter and salmonella obtained during two food surveys: the UK-wide Survey of Salmonella and Campylobacter Contamination of Fresh and Frozen Chicken on Retail Sale, undertaken in 2001, and the survey of retail sourced raw chicken in Wales and Northern Ireland in 2004.