Responsible antibiotic use in animals: change is coming

Nicola Williams

Professor in Zoonotic Bacteria Disease, University of Liverpool

Talk title: Antimicrobial resistance in dogs and horses, from the community to the clinic

Nicola is a microbiologist conducting applied research primarily on bacterial zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance. She has broad interests in AMR and is interested in drivers for and transmission of AMR in wildlife populations, food animals, companion animals, and in veterinary clinical environments. Current companion animal work includes looking at the role of raw meat diets in dogs on AMR carriage, utilising commercial clinical laboratory data and isolates for AMR surveillance, and a multi-centre study on the molecular epidemiology of AMR in equine hospitals. She also leads on a Newton funded interdisciplinary project on the drivers of AMR in the Indian poultry industry, as well as being a co-investigator on a UK-Argentine project on mapping antimicrobial use and AMR in beef feedlot systems and on the GCRF- Growing Research Capability One Health Research Network in the Horn of Africa (HORN), with AMR a leading theme.

Steve Howard

Head of Clinical Services, People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA)

Talk title: Challenges to champion the responsible use of medicines in the companion animal world

I graduated from Glasgow University in 1994, and then worked for 5 years in mixed and small animal private practice. I joined PDSA as a veterinary surgeon in 1999 and then became Senior Veterinary Surgeon at our Swansea Pet Hospital in 2003, in 2007 I moved to PDSA head office in Telford as Clinical Operations Manager and then to my present role as Head of Clinical Services in 2009.

One of my main roles within PDSA is to ensure that PDSA offer a service across our 48 Pet Hospitals and Clinics that is evidence based, pragmatic, of a pitch appropriate for a charity to offer but is also good quality for our clients and patients. This is achieved through ongoing development of clinical governance and quality improvement frameworks which also satisfy our ethical and regulatory obligations; an important part of this is ensuring that we meet our AMR responsibilities at PDSA through principles, protocols, audit and monitoring.

Following discussions between the then Chair of RUMA and myself a small group was established to consider the formation of a RUMA Companion animal and equine group, this has expanded and there has now been considerable interest in this from across the sector; I am now secretary general of the group which is currently being formally established.

Gwyn Jones

Chair of RUMA Companion Animals and Equine ,

Talk title:  Responsible use of medicines in companion animals and equine; lessons learnt from agriculture

Gwyn is the former Chair of RUMA. He was born into a hill farming family in Snowdonia, North Wales, trained as an engineer before returning to agriculture, running the beef and sheep units at Moulton College before moving to West Sussex where he operated a 350-cow dairy herd for over 30 years. Among other roles, Gwyn has served as vice president of the NFU, chair of  COPA-Cogeca Animal Health and Welfare Working Group, chair of AHDB Dairy and member of the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC). He now sits on Defra’s Animal Health and Welfare Board for England and is vice chair of the UK’s new Ruminant Health & Welfare organisation. Gwyn is also a member of The University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine External Liaison and Advisory Committee.

Dave Cockerill

Biology Director, Scottish Salmon Company

Talk title: The challenges of responsible use of medicines in Aquaculture

Dave is currently Biology Director at Scottish Salmon Company.

Professor Mathew Upton

University of Plymouth and Amprologix

Talk title: New approaches for vaccine development to reduce AMR

I am Professor of Medical Microbiology at the University of Plymouth and Chief Scientific Officer at Amprologix, an antimicrobial discovery company that I co-founded in 2018. I lead a programme of novel antibiotic discovery focused on the bacteriocins, which are gaining recognition as valid competitors for conventional antibiotics. I work with marine biologists to explore novel bacteriocins from deep-sea sponge samples.

I have a strong interest in development of vaccines for use in agriculture to reduce use of antibiotics in this sector. This work is conducted in collaboration with The Vaccine Group where we are developing vaccines for use in prevention of bacterial infection in pigs and cattle.

Oliver Robinson

British Trout Association

Talk title: Ensuring responsible use of medicines in the Trout sector

Oliver started trout farming in 1977 working for Test Valley Trout. He has been involved with the BTA board for 20 years and has represented the Table Sector, QTUK and has held the posts of vice chairman and chairman.
Oliver has been very involved in vaccine development and disease research for the industry.

Martin Smith

Head of Veterinary Services, Pilgrim's Pride Ltd

Talk title: Innovations to deliver responsible use of medicines in pig supply chains.

Martin currently works at Pilgrim's Pride Ltd as Head of Veterinary Services.

Richard Pearson

Director, The George Veterinary Group

Talk title: Pigs, Health, Antibiotics and Stewardship’

Richard joined the practice from Liverpool University in 1993 with an already well developed interest in pigs. For the past 15 years he has worked almost exclusively in the pig sector developing interests in outdoor production, gilt management, health surveillance, and veterinary medicines. Richard is a past President of Pig Veterinary Society, chaired PVS Meds Group and has contributed to RUMA Target Task Force in helping to plot a path forward for antibiotic use in the pig sector. He is a Director of the George Veterinary Group.

Daniel Parker

Director, Slate Hall Veterinary Practice

Talk title: Antimicrobial stewardship in the UK poultry industry

Graduated from Downing College, Cambridge in 1983. Intially worked in large animal practice in the UK and small animal practice in Hong Kong. Developed and interest in the poultry sector whilst working with Intervet UK before setting up Slate Hall Veterinary Practice. The practice provides a range of veterinary and laboratory consultancy services across the poultry sector to UK and international poultry companies. Daniels particular interest is in the poultry meat sector at both primary breeder and broiler level. Daniel is a visiting lecturer at Cambridge University Veterinary School and the veterinary consultant to the British Poultry Council. Daniel gained Fellowship of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in 2017.

Conrad Lichtenstein

Chief Scientific Officer, Nemesis Bioscience Ltd

Talk title: DNA therapeutics administered before antibiotics to inactivate resistance in bacterial pathogens

Conrad joined Nemesis Bioscience in 2014 after eight years as Chief Scientific Officer for Population Genetics Technologies where he developed methods to enable the rapid, low-cost, simultaneous analysis of candidate genes in multiple genomes and the identification of rare variants in mixed DNA samples from human, plant and microbial sources.

Following a PhD in Molecular Biology under Nobel Laureate Dr. Sydney Brenner at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, he held a post-doctoral position at the University of Washington, Seattle. After this, he took a faculty position at Imperial College London, followed by an appointment as Professor of Molecular Biology at Queen Mary, University of London.

His research has included gene targeting in plants by homologous recombination, RNAi engineering for virus resistance in transgenic plants and transposition by DNA elements spreading antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

Fiona Lovatt

Sheep veterinary consultant, Flock Health

Talk title: The new CPD platform for vets and role of an AMR champion in mixed vet practices.

Fiona is a Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Recognised Specialist in Sheep Health and Production and a diplomate of the European College of Small Ruminant Health Management. She holds the part time position of Clinical Associate Professor in sheep production medicine at the University of Nottingham and is the clinical lead for the RCVS Knowledge initiative Farm Vet Champions.

Fiona Lovatt graduated from Bristol University in 1995 and worked in first opinion mixed veterinary practice in Barnard Castle, County Durham until 2012. For her first four years in practice, Fiona worked in all veterinary disciplines but particularly with sheep, goats and cattle from 1999. In 2008 she was awarded a PhD from the University of Durham in the conservation genetics of South Georgia reindeer, having worked on this on a part-time basis alongside being a practising farm vet.

As a past president of the Sheep Veterinary Society, Fiona currently chairs the UK Sheep Antibiotic Guardian Group and is a member of the RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicine in Agriculture) Target Task Force, with responsibility for setting and delivering responsible use targets for the sheep industry. 

As founder of the Flock Health Club concept, Fiona is passionate about enthusing farm vets to actively engage with sheep farmers through principles that embrace best practice preventative measures and responsible medicine use.

Salvatore Galgano

Monogastric Science Research Centre, SRUC

Talk title: The potential for peracetic acid nano particles for non-antibiotic modulation of gut microbiota and possible modulation of performance in broilers

Finding alternatives to antimicrobials has a critical importance due to the rise in antimicrobial resistance in animal production systems. We are investigating animal-based applications for the documented wide spectrum biocide effect of peracetic acid (PAA). We observed that in-water PAA delivery via hydrolysis of precursors reduced crop bacterial concentration and improved performance in young broilers. These first encouraging results are informing in-feed PAA delivery trials, as well as pending larger scale work with broilers, but also provide confidence to explore PAA use in other species where non-antibiotic interventions to improve gut health are desired, including in weaner pigs.

Jasmeet Kaler

Professor in Epidemiology and Precision Livestock Informatics, Nottingham University

Talk title: Use of imaging and sensor technologies for early disease detection

The main goal of my research is to improve animal health and welfare on farms. To achieve this I combine understanding of disease biology, epidemiology, animal behaviour with use of innovative technologies, data analytics and predictive modelling in my studies. I also use tools from social science and psychology to understand decision making of stakeholders in this domain.

I am working with industry to develop and test various novel technological innovations for precision livestock. These technologies help us to monitor animal health and welfare continuously and allow for a real-time monitoring and managing system for farmers.

Henry Buller

Head of Geography, Professor of (more-than) Human Geography, University of Exeter

Talk title: The DIAL project - the potential for rapid diagnostics in treating livestock diseases

Henry Buller works principally in the area of non-human geographies, notably animal geographies. He is involved in a number of national and international research projects and professional activities that seek to bring a critical social science understanding to the issue of farm and working animal welfare in contemporary production systems and food supply chains. He also works on issues of wild species re-introduction and upon the conceptual and methodological approaches to social science framings and understandings of human/animal interactions.

Henry is currently leading a major collaborative 4-year research project (DIAL 2017-2021), funded by the ESRC and other agencies, into the innovative use of diagnostic procedures in farm animal health to reduce antimicrobial use in livestock agriculture.

He is also completing, as Co-I, a three-year EU funded consortium research project entitled ‘Hennovation’, exploring innovative practice-led solutions to welfare issues in laying hen production.

Henry is Visiting Professor at the Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Science (SLU), Uppsala.

Henry Buller has written and published widely on animal geographies, animals in the food sector and farm animal welfare, including a series of commissioned research reviews on ‘Animal Geographies’ for the journal Progress in Human Geography. He is co-author of the recently published book ‘Food and Animal Welfare’ (Bloomsbury Press, 2018) and is a contributory author to the Routledge Handbook of Human/Animal Studies and the Edinburgh Companion to Animal Studies.

Henry Buller was until recently an appointed member of the UK’s Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) and Chair of the FAWC/Defra Welfare at Killing group.

Henry Buller came to Exeter in 2003. Having worked  at Oxford Polytechnic in the 1980s, then at the CNRS Groupe de Recherches Sociologiques at the University of Paris 10 at Nanterre, Henry was, Maitre de conférences at the Department of Geography, University of Paris VII from 1990 to 2001, during which time he was also Director of the DESS ‘Espace et Milieux’ at that University. He was Professor of Rural Studies at the Countryside and Community Research Unit of the University of Gloucestershire (2001-2003).

He is a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and member of: the Nature, Materialities and Biopolitics (NAMBIO) Research group