The relationship between farmer and vet is key to the behaviour changes needed to reduce the use of antimicrobials in agriculture. The new research, which was funded by safefood, surveyed more than 400 farmers and veterinarians on the island of Ireland.
The two-year, cross-border project led by a multi-disciplinary team involving Teagasc, Queen’s University Belfast and University College Dublin looked at the behaviours of farmers and veterinarians in the usage of antimicrobials as well as the barriers and facilitators to responsible use. The research also examined the factors underpinning attitudes towards antimicrobial usage and antimicrobial resistance in meat and dairy-producing animals.
Among farmers, almost 2 in 3 (64%) said that they had already made some changes to their antimicrobial usage and in general were positively disposed towards future changes to their usage practices. The introduction of subsidized vaccination programmes or other financial incentives were also seen by famers as positive levers to reduce usage. Among vets, the research identified barriers and facilitators towards more effective antimicrobial usage and how that could be practically implemented on the ground.
Introducing the research, Dr Áine Regan Teagasc said ““It is challenging to change the routine way the health of animals has been managed for many years. The first step is to understand why changes are required in the face of this invisible threat, what changes are required and who needs to make them.”
“Research increasingly talks of a shift in the role of veterinarians and farm advisors on farms from being reactive to proactive,” continued Áine. “Rather than a traditional role of responding to disease on farms, they play an active part in providing advice on best herd health management practices and with that, information on best antibiotic practices and the mantra, ‘as little as possible, but as much as necessary’. For this role to work successfully, they must be able to deliver information successfully and where necessary, promote behavioural changes in farmers through motivating them and facilitating collaborative decision making.”
Dr Gary Kearney, interim CEO safefood continued: “This research project took a ground-up approach involving both famers and vets. By understanding their shared experiences and knowledge as well as co-creating interventions with farmers and vets that could work, we’re more informed on how best to tackle the issue of antimicrobial usage in agriculture.
Professor Moira Dean, Queen’s University added “We underpinned our research in behaviour change theory, which enables us to assess a person’s ability, motivation, and opportunity to act and how all these factors can influence their behaviour. These findings fed into practice-ready, evidence-based interventions which combine the voice of both farmers and veterinarians.” One of the behaviour-change interventions designed by the project was a specialised training programme for animal health professionals, such as vets and farm advisors. The provision of technical animal health advice and information using specialised communication strategies can improve awareness and understanding of antimicrobial resistance, and influence motivations and confidence in ability to reduce antimicrobial use in the farming community.
As a result of this research project, additional funding has been received with pilot projects being delivered by psychologists in Animal Health Ireland and Teagasc in order to trial the interventions. “Behaviour-change recommendations from the safefood project have been embedded into veterinary training and consults for both the CellCheck national mastitis control programme and the Pig Healthcheck programme” continues Alison Burrell, Health Psychologist at Animal Health Ireland. “This is a new approach for many, which has been well received. There has been a lot of interest in a new training programme funded through the AMU-farm project which is in collaboration with Teagasc and Queens University Belfast. This will deliver training to both vets and farm advisors in communication and behaviour change to support collaborative herd health consults with herdowners around tailored animal health management and prudent antibiotic use on farm.”
The findings from the project will be discussed at a joint safefood / Teagasc seminar on 28 September at Teagasc, Ashtown, Dublin 15 and the report ‘The use of antimicrobials in animal health on the island of Ireland: knowledge, attitudes and behaviours’ is available to download from the safefood website at www.safefood.net/research-reports/amr
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