A new task force created by two education associations will try to address antibiotic resistance in production agriculture. The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) have come together to advise the federal government on an antibiotic resistance research agenda and to help disseminate information to the public about antibiotic use on farms. In September, the White House released a report on antibiotic resistance by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and issued an Executive Order establishing an interagency task force for combating antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The governmental task force must submit an action plan to the president by February 2015 describing how to meet the administration’s National Strategy on Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria and address PCAST’s recommendations. Lonnie King, dean of Ohio State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, chairs the APLU/AAVMC task force, which he said will “serve as a knowledgeable and important source of advice for the federal government as it develops its plans.” The task force will also be able to make recommendations on research to develop alternatives to antibiotics and to educate producers and the general public about the appropriate use of antibiotics in agriculture and veterinary medicine. Members of the task force include faculty from colleges like Oklahoma State University’s Division of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas A&M University’s College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences and Tuskegee University’s College of Agriculture. Representatives from the Animal Health Institute, American Veterinary Medical Association, National Chicken Council, National Cattlemen’s Beef Association and National Pork Producers Council are also members. “This is an important collaborative effort,” said APLU president Peter McPherson. “The task force and its members are well-positioned to advise the Obama administration as they consider strategies to address the judicious use of antibiotics in production agriculture.”
