Summary

This project seeks to provide Australian pig and chicken meat producers with a competitive advantage in the international marketplace by developing a world’s best practice for objective description of the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the herd/flock level. The work will exploit the high-throughput capacity of laboratory robots as a basis for an industry-wide scheme where herds and flocks can be accurately described to define their level of AMR risk. This information can be used both to support the commercial trade of pork and chicken-meat commodities and as a mechanism for monitoring progress with on-farm control measures based on antimicrobial stewardship. The ability to provide feedback to individual enterprise managers (farmers or processors) on control of AMR will be a strong driver for meeting rapidly increasing consumer and market demands for products that are ‘low risk’ with respect to AMR. In this way the work is strategically targeted at supporting demand and price for these commodities, providing a basis for expanded exports into AMR sensitive markets, and exploiting Australia’s natural advantage arising from decades of conservative use of antimicrobials in agriculture.

Program

Chicken Meat

Research Organisation

Australian Pork Limited

Objective Summary

The objective of the programme is to realise productivity and profitability improvements for primary producers, through:
a) generating knowledge, technologies, products or processes that benefit primary producers;
b) strengthening pathways to extend the results of rural R&D, including understanding the barriers to adoption; and
c) establishing and fostering industry and research collaborations that form the basis for ongoing innovation and growth of Australian agriculture.
This grant activity aims to provide Australian pig and chicken meat producers with a competitive advantage in the international marketplace by developing a world’s best practice for objective description of the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at the herd/flock level. Using laboratory robots that can work extremely quickly, precisely and cost effectively, the project will develop an industry-wide scheme where herds and flocks can be accurately described to define their level of AMR risk. This information will help producers demonstrate their AMR status, to not only improve market access but also provide a mechanism for monitoring progress of the on-farm control measures which will be based on antimicrobial stewardship principles.