The Ministry of Agriculture and FAO together with related associations (ADHPI, PB PDHI, & ASOHI) launched the AMR Roadmap, General Guidelines for Antimicrobial Stewardship, Poultry Diseases Manual 2023 edition, and Antimicrobial Stewardship IEC materials.

Jakarta (13/3) - The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) launched a roadmap to reduce antimicrobial usage in livestock in a periodic discussion forum with poultry stakeholders called OBRASS (Obrolan Ringan Akhir Pekan Seputar Unggas) in Jakarta, Saturday (04/03). Among others, the roadmap aims to achieve a reduction in the use of antimicrobials for prevention by up to 40% in 2029.

Three other publications were also launched in this event, namely: (1) Poultry Diseases Manual 2023 edition; (2) General Guidelines for Antimicrobials Stewardship in the Livestock and Animal Health Sector; and (3) Antimicrobial stewardship information, education, and communication materials.

The Director General of Livestock and Animal Health Services at the Ministry of Agriculture, Dr Nasrullah, said, "We also involve the Indonesian Poultry Veterinary Association (ADHPI) in preparing this roadmap.”

“These publications are intended to assist all stakeholders to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR), particularly in the livestock sector,” Dr Nasrullah explained.

According to Dr Nasrullah, antimicrobial misuses both in the human and animal health sectors, as well as in food production can accelerate the incidence of AMR. “AMR is one of the biggest global public health threats, AMR can make infections difficult to treat, increase the number of deaths and economic losses,” he added.

Recognizing this enormous health and economic impact, Indonesia has developed a 2020-2024 National Action Plan for AMR control.
“The launched publications serve as an elaboration of this National Action Plan and support the government's strategy to increase the participation of all sectors in carrying out good practices of prudent and responsible antimicrobial use,” said Dr Nasrullah.

Rajendra Aryal, FAO Representative for Indonesia and Timor Leste, expressed his appreciation for the cooperation of all parties in developing the guidelines. “The guidelines launched today serve as a significant milestone in enhancing AMR control through a multisectoral One Health approach that can be used at all levels. Ongoing commitment to its implementation across the public health, animal health, and food production sectors is required to sustain the impact”, said Aryal. Moving forward, FAO will continue to support the Indonesian government in combating AMR using the One Health approach with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The head of the Indonesian Poultry Veterinary Association (IPVA/ADHPI), Dalmi Triyono, highlighted the importance of implementing these guidelines to achieve the target of the National Action Plan to Control AMR. “ADHPI encourages all stakeholders, especially veterinarians and farmers, who are at the forefront of AMR control, to properly implement these manuals and guidelines in order to improve poultry health management and slow down the rate of AMR,” explained Triyono.

Since 2016, FAO has been working together with the Government of Indonesia to implement AMR prevention and control programmes in livestock production and animal health sector across Indonesia. These ongoing efforts are made to control the use of antimicrobials in the livestock sector while encouraging farmers to produce safer livestock products for public consumption.