A qualitative approach for a situation analysis of AMR risks in the food animal production sector.

In response to the need to manage Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), countries have produced National Action Plans (NAPs), which require detailed information of the AMR situation in all sectors. Considering the limited information that is publicly available for an analysis of the AMR situation in animal production, the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean (FAO RLC) developed the "FAO tool for a situation analysis of AMR risks in the food and agriculture sectors." The objective of this paper is to present the methodology developed for a qualitative evaluation of the risk factors of AMR toward animal and human health, based on terrestrial and aquatic production systems and their associated national public and private mitigation measures. The tool was developed reflecting the AMR epidemiological model and the guidelines to conduct a risk analysis of AMR from the Codex Alimentarius and WOAH. Applied in four stages of progressive development, the objective of the tool is to provide a qualitative and systematic assessment of the risks of AMR from animal production systems, to animal and human health, and to identify gaps in cross cutting factors in AMR management. The tool consists of three instruments: (i) a survey to collect data for a situation analysis of AMR risks; (ii) a methodological procedure for the analysis of the information obtained; (iii) instructions for the preparation of a national roadmap for the containment of AMR at a national level. Based on the results from the information analysis, a roadmap is prepared by guiding and prioritizing the needs and sectoral actions for the containment of AMR under an intersectoral, multidisciplinary and collaborative approach, and according to country priorities and resources. The tool helps to determine, visualize and prioritize the risk factors and challenges that contribute to AMR from the animal production sector and that need to be addressed to manage AMR.

Driving multisectoral antimicrobial resistance action in South America: Lessons learned from implementing an enhanced tripartite AMR country self-assessment tool.

As part of an innovative Tripartite-EU collaboration Project that supports seven South American countries, a Landscape Analysis Tool (LAT) was developed and implemented to collect data to complement the Tripartite AMR Country Self-Assessment Survey (TrACSS) process. The LAT enables collection of broader and deeper information to guide development of priority One Health activities, and strengthen national action plans to combat antimicrobial resistance. The Project developed the tool, trained a consultant pool in its use, and implemented it in conjunction with multi-sectoral country teams. The main results were seven priority-informed country workplans that proposed specific activities in line with the Strategic Objectives of each country's national action plan. LAT implementation clearly showed that the tool is a strong complement to the TrACSS process and that there can be considerable benefit to the process of collecting additional data layers, especially to strengthen country ownership of AMR-related information and solidifying multisectoral engagement. Countries elsewhere might consider implementing this complementary tool - either once to establish a baseline - or periodically to gain a better ongoing understanding of the situation on the ground.