Enhancing national surveillance in food and agriculture sectors

Some countries may already have comprehensive national antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance systems that produce and regularly disseminate AMR surveillance findings in livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, and in their associated food products, to diverse stakeholders. Others may have just begun planning a national AMR surveillance system and generating limited AMR data through point prevalence surveys or research studies.

Recognizing these differences, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) invites all interested countries to join the International FAO Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring (InFARM) system, regardless of their current stage of surveillance implementation. InFARM is also open to countries with limited data collection capacity.

By joining the InFARM system, countries will enhance and build their national AMR surveillance systems in food and agriculture. Participation will help generate high-quality AMR surveillance data that meets both national and international standards, supporting evidence-based actions to combat AMR.

The first InFARM annual open call for data 2024

FAO is calling on its Members to participate in the first InFARM annual open call for data in 2024. FAO will reach out to key personnel in national authorities responsible for AMR surveillance in agrifood systems, requesting the designation of InFARM focal points. These authorities typically include Ministries of Agriculture and Food Safety Authorities or Agencies.

Key dates and steps

The InFARM IT platform will accept submissions from Monday, 27 May 2024 to Thursday, 31 October 2024. During this period, national authorities are encouraged to:

1. Identify focal points across surveillance programs in agrifood systems.
2. Complete the enrollment questionnaire and submit it to [email protected].
3. Once credentials are received for accessing the IT platform, designated InFARM focal points should complete at least the surveillance implementation questionnaire on the platform.
4. Focal points are strongly encouraged to submit AMR data from animals and food generated from samples collected since 2015.

A comprehensive manual providing detailed guidance on implementing InFARM is available here.

For any questions related to InFARM participation, please contact [email protected].