Network launches to battle AMR in the agrifood system

A network aiming to understand how antimicrobial resistance impacts UK food production from farm to fork, along with new ways to meet these challenges has been created to harness perspectives from across agrifood stakeholders. 

The AMR in Agrifood Systems Transdisciplinary (AMAST) Network, will receive in the region of  £650,000 UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funding as part of its work to tackle infections. It will be co-ordinated by Dr Matthew Gilmour, based at the Quadram Institute, with an international expert advisory panel providing oversight.

“We’re really excited to be part of this new community. The agrifood system is incredibly complex with a diverse community of key players that are involved in the production of safe and nutritious foods.  So understanding the challenges of AMR requires a non-traditional approach that pulls together the whole community” said Dr Gilmour.

AMAST will, for the first time, bring together various agrifood communities with academic researchers from different disciplines, to identify from the bottom up the challenges AMR poses within agrifood, and then collaborate to develop solutions.

The AMAST Network will involve members from different agrifood production systems, such as crop, livestock and aquaculture, from primary production through to the consumer. It will also bring in transdisciplinary academics, including bioscientists and social scientists as well as other areas that may not have previously engaged with AMR as a challenge.

Through interviews, workshops and themed community meetings, the network aims to collectively identify and prioritise areas of opportunity, as well as understanding where more research is needed to plug gaps in our understanding.

More information online