FAO Delegation called on Secretary Livestock on AMR Issues and System Assessment

The Food and Agriculture Organization delegation visited the Livestock Department Punjab and called on Secretary Livestock Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel. The FAO delegation included Dr. Peter Flanagan, Dr. Michael Treilles, Dr. Nicholas Keck, Dr. Phillis Ochieng, Dr. Usman Zaheer, and Dr. Riasat Waseeullah. This meeting aimed to discuss the FAO Assessment tool for the National AMR Surveillance System and Laboratory Network. Moreover, they discussed different aspects of antimicrobial resistance.

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On this occasion, Secretary Livestock said that antimicrobial resistance is a major global threat to public health. On the other hand, antimicrobial drugs play an important role in protecting the health of humans, animals, and plants. So it is important to maintain their effectiveness by responsible use.

AMR Surveillance System and Livestock Punjab

Secretary Livestock Punjab Saqib Ali Ateel said that we all need to take action against antimicrobial resistance to tackle this global challenge. He further said that the Livestock Department Punjab has long recognized the threat posed by AMR, and we are taking all possible steps to meet this challenge. We have increased the budget. Furthermore, we have capped the provision of growth promoters in poultry feed. Besides this, we have also declared the provincial laboratory as AMR reference lab and strengthened the capacity building of laboratory staff.

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He said that the Punjab Livestock Department has prioritized the problem of AMR in the livestock sector because the health of animals is directly related to the health of humans. The collaboration of an international organization like FAO is an important step towards achieving sustainable and effective results on antimicrobial resistance. We will work together to protect the health of humans and animals. Additional Secretary Technical Dr Usman Tahir and other officers also participated in the meeting.

Meeting of National Laboratory Networking Group 

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Dr. Jassar Aftab is a qualified Veterinarian having expertise in veterinary communication. He is a renowned veterinary Journalist of Pakistan. He is veterinary columnist, veterinary writer and veterinary analyst. He is the author of three books. He has written a number of articles and columns on different topics related to livestock, dairy, poultry, wildlife, fisheries, food security and different aspects of animal sciences and veterinary education.

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