Veterinary workers at a farm in Kazakhstan.
Rome: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has warned that antimicrobial resistance poses a significant long-term threat to food security and livestock production.
In its report, "The Future of Antimicrobial Use in Livestock - The Economic Cost of Action or Inaction", the FAO stated that the continuation of current antimicrobial use patterns in the livestock sector could exacerbate health and economic challenges.
The organization emphasized that while antimicrobials play a crucial role in protecting animal health and treating diseases, their overuse and misuse contribute to the rapid emergence of antimicrobial resistance, reducing the effectiveness of available treatments and increasing long-term health risks.
The FAO warned that if decisive action is not taken to curb this phenomenon, antimicrobial use in the global livestock sector is projected to increase by approximately 30 percent by 2040
