The Reference Centre provides expertise from three agencies of the United Kingdom’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra); the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). 

Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone,
Surrey, KT15 3LS, UK | Website

Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science
Weymouth Laboratory, Barrack Road, The Nothe, Weymouth,
Dorset DT4 8UB, UK | Website

Animal and Plant Health Agency
Woodham Lane, New Haw, Addlestone,
Surrey, KT15 3NB, UK | Website

Date of Designation

29 April 2019

Areas of work

• Governance and policy relating to AMR, AMU and medicines regulation
• AMR Surveillance in veterinary and zoonotic bacterial pathogens
• Detection of AMR in bacteria from animals (terrestrial and aquatic) and the environment
• Isolation of bacteria and AMR characterization using phenotypic methods
• Whole genome sequencing, bioinformatics, and computational biology for screening of resistance and virulent genes, as well as for molecular phylogenetic investigations
• Research and development on AMR (e.g. development of new phenotypic and genotypic diagnostic tests)
• National AMU surveillance
• Development and monitoring of impacts of interventions reducing antibiotic use  
• National antibiotic residues surveillance 

Key activities Undertaken

Our mission is to provide leading scientific and policy expertise within the global community to tackle antimicrobial resistance in terrestrial and aquatic animals and their environment in a One Health context.

Our objectives are to increase stakeholder awareness and engagement, strengthen surveillance and research, support good practices, and promote responsible use through strengthening governance.

To achieve our objectives, we seek to complement FAO’s programme by supporting member countries in the implementation of their National Action Plans (NAP) on AMR. Our activities are aligned with the FAO Action Plan on AMR (2021-2025), the Quadripartite approach to One Health action on AMR, and the UK’s AMR NAP.

We place partnership at the core of our approach and seek to engage with a wide range of partners to deliver our activities under four broad categories: international engagement, surveillance and research, capacity building, and guidance and standards. Activities are underpinned by management and communication functions.

Examples of activities and support provided:

International engagement

• Raise awareness on AMR and antimicrobial usage (AMU) via science blog, social media, reports, scientific publications and conferences
• Consultancy for international and national partners
• Contribute to policy meetings at national and international level using Reference Centre activities as exemplars

Surveillance and research

• Provide technical advice and consultancy for AMR/AMU/residues surveillance, including genomic approaches
• Provide advanced laboratory support and confirmatory testing
• Provide expert advice on monitoring national sales and usage of antibiotics and monitoring resistance
• Undertake collaborative projects with partners to address evidence gaps relevant to AMR and potential risks to veterinary or public health

Capacity building

• Provide support for needs assessments and design of capacity building programmes
• Self-assessment tool for veterinary medicines regulatory agencies
• Provision of AMR/AMU/residues/ medicines regulation training courses at our UK facilities and at partner’s facilities
• Support for post-graduate training programmes
• Supporting a vibrant AMR Community of Practice
• Mentorship and training
• Development and provision of e-learning courses

Guidance and standards

• Development and provision of proficiency testing schemes for establishing external quality assurance
• Setting susceptibility testing standards and interpretive criteria for key bacterial species currently lacking standardised methods, e.g., aquatic pathogens
• Development of antimicrobial residues surveillance guidelines
• Development of antimicrobial usage guidelines

Working languages

• English