Looking for comments: launch of public review
7 October. Today the Development Law Service of FAO (LEGN) launched the public review of the “Methodology to analyse AMR-Relevant Legislation in the Food and Agriculture Sector – Guidance Document for Regulators”, available in English, Spanish, French and Russian.
The public review, starting on 7 Octoberand ending on 15 December 2020, aims to strengthen the consensus built so far and ensure the Methodology meets the needs of those seeking to improve the legislative frameworks for AMR.
National regulators, local lawyers, veterinarians, researchers, universities, NGOs and any other stakeholders across all agricultural sectors with knowledge on AMR, veterinary medical products, antimicrobial pesticides, food safety, animal or plant health legislation are invited to participate.
The drafting team will analyse all comments received and act as appropriate. The team will provide replies to each comment, when requested by commenters. To participate in the review process, please send your comments and observations, either in English or Spanish, to: [email protected]
Methodology to analyse AMR-Relevant Legislation in the Food and Agriculture Sector – Guidance Document for Regulators
Legislation is an essential element of the governance needed to address antimicrobial use (AMU) and antimicrobial resistance (AMR). National legal frameworks relevant for AMR contain the key regulatory controls within sectors, establish linkages among the numerous actors, sectors and activities, and facilitate coordinated implementation by the various competent authorities. Legislation also provides the basis for enforcement.
AMR spans across several sectors, from human medicine, to animal health and production, food safety and the environment. Each of these areas is governed by separate legal instruments that are often drafted with little consideration of the synergies and implications across the areas. Furthermore, these legislations are often not complete and/or not aligned with the relevant international standards. To strengthen national governance and regulation, it is essential that the national regulatory framework is analysed in a holistic, cross-cutting manner to identify the gaps and weaknesses that would likely be overlooked by considering any single sector alone.
This Methodology identifies the legal areas that are relevant for AMR governance in the food and agriculture sectors. It also identifies the key regulatory elements within each area that directly contribute to AMR. The application of this Methodology can help national and regional governments and regulators to identify the gaps and weaknesses of their sectoral legislation and governance structures, improving their capacity to better address AMR through legislation. The Methodology is a living document and is open for comments and suggestions.
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