Vet webinar: Future opportunities to achieving sustainable medicine use in the UK

Nuffield Farming scholars, Duncan Williams and Grace O’Gorman, join AHDB for a discussion on how the UK can achieve animal medicine best practice.

We all need to work together to ensure all animal medicines are used responsibly. Promoting responsible use and best practice for on-farm medicine usage is one of our main priorities and part of the government’s Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) strategy.

So, how do we get there?

Duncan and Grace will share their views with us from extensive research undertaken as part of their Nuffield scholarships. Titled ‘Dairy antibiotics: achieving sustainable use’, Duncan will discuss how the issues around antibiotic resistance are not limited to the farm and instead, extend throughout the entire food and farming industry, right up to national governance. Grace’s AHDB sponsored Nuffield study, ‘Animal medicines best practice, unlocking the potential for UK farming’ highlights some of the strategies with potential to unlock opportunities, and the future for animal medicines in the UK.

The webinar will cover:

• Farmer experiences from across the world

• Issues around antibiotic resistance

• The factors which influence animal medicine best practice

• Opportunities for the future

The webinar will last approximately 35 minutes, with time for questions at the end.

Meet the speakers

Duncan Williams graduated from RVC in 2011 and has worked as a dairy vet and consultant in the UK, USA, NZ and China. His work focuses on implementing antibiotic reduction programmes throughout the dairy supply chain. He is currently studying a Masters in Sustainable Development at the University of Exeter.

Dr Grace O’Gorman is a senior technical policy manager at the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH), based in London. Her work includes the management of the Animal Medicines Best Practice (AMBP) training programme for farmers on the responsible use of antibiotics, alongside work on animal health policy, regulation and future trade. Grace grew up on a beef farm in Ireland and trained as a veterinary scientist and veterinary surgeon, completing her studies in Dublin. She was a lecturer in animal health at Hartpury College and is a 2019 Nuffield Farming scholar.