increase font size
AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats and occurs when bacteria, viruses and parasites no longer respond to medicine, making them difficult or impossible to treat.
Farmers are being urged to work with their veterinarian to keep animals healthy and help prevent drug-resistant infections developing.
Owners are being urged to vaccinate their animals against preventable diseases and keep these up-to-date; isolate sick and potentially infectious animals away from healthy ones; and provide a well-balanced diet and continued access to shade and shelter, to help stop animals becoming unwell.
The calls come as the veterinary profession marked World AMR Awareness Week this month, a global campaign to address the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that threatens human and animal health. AMR is one of the top 10 global public health threats and occurs when bacteria, viruses and parasites no longer respond to medicine, making them difficult or impossible to treat.
The World Health Organisation lists AMR as a top 10 global health threat to people, animals and the environment.
New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) head of veterinary services - companion animal Sally Cory says for farmers, having an effective and comprehensive vaccination programme is key to preventing illness, as many diseases can be effectively vaccinated against.
Owners should also let their veterinarian know if their animal isn’t responding to antibiotics, as they may need more investigations and a different approach.
“This doesn’t necessarily mean they need another antibiotic or a bigger dose, but a different course of action might be needed,” Cory says.
Total antibiotic use in all New Zealand animals has fallen in recent years. These efforts are contributing to the NZVA’s aspirational goal that by 2030, New Zealand will not need antibiotics for the maintenance of animal health and wellness.
According to the World Health Organisation, within the next 30 years, resistance to antibiotics and other antimicrobial products is anticipated to kill more people around the world than cancer.
The Veterinary Council of New Zealand (VCNZ), which regulates veterinarians and sets standards to support responsible antimicrobial use among veterinarians, is about to begin developing a new strategy to minimise the risk of AMR in animals in Aotearoa.
VCNZ chief executive and registrar Iain McLachlan says the strategy will complement initiatives in other parts of the sector, including the New Zealand Veterinary Association and Ministry for Primary Industries.
“Veterinarians, as stewards of antimicrobial products and the sole authoriser of their use in animals, have a critical role to play in managing the risks of AMR,” Iain says. “We’re looking forward to getting this work underway and will be consulting right across the sector to ensure a wide range of perspectives are captured.”
Healthy, well-grown calves are the building blocks of any future dairy herd. Giving them the best start to life is crucial, and the primary strategy to reduce the burden of disease caused by rotavirus infection is vaccination.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand is reminding farmers with lucerne stands to graze them hard over the next few weeks in preparation for a winter weed control programme.
Animal welfare improvements as well as reduced costs for dairy farmers are at the heart of a new move which could help cut back on the waste of unused vet drugs.
New research suggests sheep and beef farmers could improve both profitability and emissions efficiency by increasing lamb weaning weights, with only marginal changes in total greenhouse gas emissions.
Milton dairy farmer Chris Wills says he began using probiotics in spring 2023 to address somatic cell count (SCC) grades when cows transitioned from their winter barn to lush spring pasture.
The 2026 Holstein Friesian NZ Black & White Youth Auction has once again proven the strength of support behind the breed’s young people, raising $20,130 for the HFNZ Black & White Youth programme.
Westpac NZ has become the first New Zealand bank to receive approval from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) to secure and leverage kiwifruit growers' Zespri shares.
Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) and Pāmu (Landcorp Farming Limited) have developed a new way for landowners to earn revenue from existing native forests.
Despite near universal optimism in the rural sector, a panel of New Zealand’s leading food and agri minds caution that the sector must be intentional about its future path.
The dairy industry cannot rest on its laurels despite providing one in every four export dollars earned by the country, says DairyNZ chief executive Campbell Parker.
The Government is looking at intervening on behalf of Waikato farmers who face new regulations around agricultural land use while Resource Management Act (RMA) reforms are underway.
OPINION: Another hot topic at Mystery Creek was the intrigue over the upcoming election for the presidency of Federated Farmers.
OPINION: It's election time.
