A series of workshops on ‘Responsible use of Antimicrobials on Beef & Sheep Farms’, has been launched for this winter under the Farm Family Key Skills (FFKS) programme. These follow a series of very successful workshops earlier this year on the ‘Responsible use of antimicrobials in the Dairy Herd’.
Antimicrobials have been used across the red meat industry to combat disease and parasites for many decades. Antimicrobials, especially antibiotics are used widely in both human medicine and in animal health.
However, increasingly the issue of antimicrobial resistance is spreading and it is now a major cause of concern worldwide. Recently, the Chief Veterinary and Medical Officers for Northern Ireland launched the ‘One Health’ action plan. This new workshop is just one of the range measures in the action plan aimed at tackling antimicrobial resistance in Northern Ireland.
The workshops entitled ‘Responsible use of antimicrobials on Beef & Sheep farms’ will be delivered by veterinary practitioners. The workshops will focus on a number of areas including:
• What antimicrobials are and how antimicrobial resistance develops.
• Best practice in the use of antimicrobials and other medicines.
• Practical steps to reduce the use of antimicrobials on the farm and avoiding residues.
The workshops will provide opportunities for informative discussion which aims to help beef and sheep farmers make informed choices in developing animal health protocols on their own farms.
The training is free for farmers, farm family members and farm staff and will be held in local venues across Northern Ireland. The training offered also meets the requirements of various quality assurance schemes.
Numbers are limited on each course to allow opportunity for discussion with the vets. Anyone wishing to attend must register in advance.
For dates and locations of workshops, please visit the CAFRE website.
To register for a workshop, please contact AI Services 028 9083 3123 or email: amr@ai-services.co.uk.
Farm Family Key Skills (FFKS) is part of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme, funded under the Rural Development Programme 2014-2020.
Notes to editors:
- Photo caption - Recent launch of workshops on Responsible Use of Antimicrobials on Beef & Sheep farms with industry stakeholders. L to R: Edward Adamson (NSA), Liam McCarthy (ABP), Ian Stevenson (LMC), Kenny Linton (Dunbia), David Brown (UFU), Paul McHenry (CAFRE), Brian Kennedy (AI Services) & Nigel McLaughlin (UFU).
- College of Agriculture Food & Rural enterprise (CAFRE) is responsible for the delivery of the Farm Family Key Skills (FFKS) programme.
- For more information on FFKS, please email: kt.admin@daera-ni.gov.uk or call Knowledge Transfer Administration on 028 9442 6790.
- The FFKS programme is part funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD).
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