H2020 ROADMAP Project: Rethinking Antimicrobial Decision-Making Systems in Animal Production Management
- Type Project
- Status Filled
- Execution 2019 -2023
- Assigned Budget 5.999.753,00 €
- Scope Europeo
- Main source of financing H2020
- Project website Proyecto ROADMAP
Inappropriate antibiotic use contributes to the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance, recognized as a serious One Health problem. Therefore, combating bacterial infections through much more prudent antibiotic use is essential to preserve their effectiveness. The livestock sector has begun to drastically reduce antibiotic use, but it needs to drive profound, long-term changes to ensure lasting and sustainable transitions toward prudent and responsible antibiotic use.
The EU-funded ROADMAP program aims to drive these transitions by analyzing the socioeconomic factors driving antibiotic use, adapting strategies to local changes, and proposing transition and impact pathways for various animal production systems in Europe and around the world.
The ROADMAP started in June 2019 and was completed in May 2023. All reports have been submitted, some results have already been published, and many more are in progress and expected to be published in 2024. The socioeconomic analysis conducted under Pillar 1 has identified a wide range of levers and opportunities to further reduce AMU, but has also identified some weaknesses. We studied the different regulatory systems, the structure of the various antimicrobial decision-making systems (showing how many stakeholders influence AMU, and not just farmers and veterinarians), and we also focused on the practices of farmers and veterinarians.
Participatory approaches have been implemented through our Living Labs and our impact assessment methods. The Living Labs suffered a few months of delay due to COVID-19 restrictions, but ultimately all achieved important objectives in terms of awareness-raising, stakeholder engagement, and co-construction of solutions and pathways to impact. Regarding the evaluation of our strategies to promote the prudent use of UMA, our protocol was closely linked to our Living Labs' activities, as we believe participatory methods are essential for an evaluation shared by all stakeholders. Dissemination and communication activities also achieved important objectives, although they had to be adapted to COVID-19 restrictions. The ROADMAP website and social media platforms were implemented from the first year of the project and functioned perfectly. We have relied on these tools even more as circumstances dictate. The SAB has also been consulted on several occasions. Various communication materials and tools, such as brochures and videos, have been developed to present the project to the different stakeholders. Several events have been organized or co-organized with other relevant projects.
The final event in Brussels brought together around 50 people and generated essential discussions for future research. Project management and oversight proceeded satisfactorily, both from a scientific and financial/administrative perspective. Additional work was done to manage the COVID-19 crisis and adapt the project to travel restrictions. Regular meetings with the Executive Committee were organized to monitor project implementation, and seven General Assemblies were held (including two additional ones, one in February 2020 and one in November 2022).
ROADMAP will foster transitions toward prudent use of antimicrobials (UAM) in animal production across a wide variety of contexts, encouraging a rethinking of antimicrobial decision-making systems throughout the food supply chain. While it is possible to learn from successful experiences, there is no single solution to reducing UAM; rather, several strategies work according to local conditions, defined by social, economic, technical, and institutional variables. ROADMAP will develop innovative conceptual approaches within a transdisciplinary and multi-stakeholder perspective to engage animal health professionals, stakeholders, and policymakers.
It will adapt, combine, and produce tailored strategies to reduce UMA in various production systems in Europe and low- and middle-income countries (pig, poultry, cattle, and fisheries sectors).
The main objectives of ROADMAP are: 1. To understand why and how AMU varies across local contexts by studying the knowledge, practices, and behaviors of farmers, veterinarians, and upstream and downstream industries in the food supply chain; 2. To develop innovative socioeconomic and technical instruments to foster prudent AMU adapted to diverse production systems by co-designing integrative strategies with animal health professionals and stakeholders; 3. To evaluate ROADMAP solutions and ensure their impact. Innovative communication, dissemination, and exploitation tools will be implemented to reach a large community of end-users. ROADMAP will identify levers and incentives to foster AMU change, providing scenarios and recommendations for efficient transitions towards prudent AMU and socially acceptable but also technically and economically viable solutions.
Therefore, ROADMAP will contribute to the fight against antimicrobial resistance by enabling cross-learning from various successful experiences, fostering harmonization of AMU reduction trends across Europe, and thus promoting an overall reduction of AMU in animal production.
The responsible use of antimicrobials in livestock farming through preventative approaches can safeguard health and food safety, as well as combat antimicrobial resistance. Antimicrobials, while undeniably beneficial for treating infections and maintaining animal health, represent a growing concern and a multifaceted challenge. Their misuse or overuse in agriculture can lead to the development and spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), posing a direct threat to animal and human health. Furthermore, routine prophylactic antibiotic use in livestock can disrupt the natural balance of microbial communities in animals and their environments, compromising food safety. The local context of antimicrobial use The EU-funded ROADMAP project aimed to promote the adoption of prudent antimicrobial use (AMU) in animal production across diverse contexts.
Recognizing that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to reducing AMU, the consortium aimed to understand the local, social, economic, and technical factors that contribute to AMU variation in different contexts. The interdisciplinary and participatory nature of the project was critical to investigating both AMU and AMU globally. “Our goal was to reassess decision-making processes regarding AMU along the entire food supply chain in different countries,” explains project coordinator Nicolas Fortané. ROADMAP developed local and contextualized participatory approaches that were implemented in 12 living laboratories across 10 countries and four production sectors (pig, poultry, dairy, and beef). Strategies included strengthening biosecurity, vaccination, and the use of antibiotic alternatives. Additionally, the consortium focused on strengthening the monitoring of antibiotic use and prescribing, promoting the identification and communication of good practices on prudent antibiotic use. Successful experiences have generated invaluable knowledge for promoting the reduction of AMU in animal production in Europe and the rest of the world. According to Fortané, the structure of the food chain and the power relations between stakeholders are often ignored in proposed strategies.
The working conditions of animal health professionals and the business model of some actors, such as veterinarians or cooperatives, should also be taken into account when designing strategies for prudent AMR. Recommendations for the Global Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance To combat AMR, ROADMAP generated policy briefs that support a holistic approach. First, the consortium emphasized the need for a systemic transition toward prudent antimicrobial use, going beyond mere behavioral changes. This involves strengthening veterinary public health systems where necessary, promoting the development of robust monitoring systems, and encouraging the prevalence of holistic veterinary medicine. "The goal is to empower veterinarians to become advisors on both animal health and production, rather than mere problem-solvers."
These efforts must be reinforced with legislative mechanisms that complement voluntary approaches," Fortané emphasizes. ROADMAP underscored the importance of social and economic innovations in addressing AMR. Collaborative and coordinated efforts among diverse stakeholders and different segments of the food supply chain are critical to reducing antimicrobial use (AMU). Furthermore, incentives are needed to motivate the transition toward radical change, while emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of preventive measures. Tailored solutions, such as funding opportunities for smaller sectors to develop technical expertise, training, and familiarizing farmers with AMU issues, can also help combat AMR and safeguard the future of public and animal health and the environment.
ROADMAP's ambitious objectives have been achieved. The application of innovative approaches to the topic of AMR has generated substantial results and impact, particularly through the systemic and dynamic framework (food and pharmaceutical chain approach, and transition studies) we chose to shed new light on the AMR issue.
First, we have demonstrated how the structure of food and drug markets is a decisive determinant of antibiotic use (i.e., stakeholder behavior), as are political and institutional factors. Industrial actors, as well as regulatory bodies, have a strong impact on how antibiotics are prescribed, sold, and used. This demonstrates that AMR policies should focus more on these levels of the food and drug chain than solely on end-users.
As for livestock farmers and veterinarians, they are very aware of the need to reduce AMU, but they integrate this perspective into their own (and variable) professional narratives and experiences, which means that there are different ways of caring for and being a good livestock farmer and veterinarian. The importance of developing and supporting preventative approaches to animal health has also been highlighted. All of this goes beyond the existing literature and will be published in the coming months. Second, the participatory approach we chose in this project also generated great expectations. The Living Labs methodology has generated very innovative results in the interaction with stakeholders and animal health professionals, in a way that is not limited to vertical communication, which has so far proven its limitations.
An ex-ante impact assessment was conducted in several local laboratories to co-construct transition pathways toward prudent quality of life management, connected to other important issues according to local contexts, such as climate change, animal welfare, and the working conditions of animal health professionals. In summary, we believe the project's great potential has been realized, both in terms of scientific and socioeconomic impact. Our three key messages are: - Systemic improvements drive behavioral change; - Social and economic innovation drives technical change; - Tailor-made solutions allow everyone to be supported on the path toward prudent quality of life management.
- INSTITUT NATIONAL DE RECHERCHE POUR L'AGRICULTURE, L'ALIMENTATION ET L'ENVIRONNEMENT (INRAE)
Related projects
