Targeted assistance for veterinary practices antimicrobial usage on farms

Veterinary practices can benefit from funding to install a new software that makes it simpler to report antibiotic usage on farms across Northern Ireland.  Thanks to a research initiative in Northern Ireland entitled ‘STrategic AntiMicrobial use in Dairy, Beef and Lamb Production’ (STAMP), a software application to benchmark antibiotic use is now widely available. The Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC) will fund the installation cost of the ‘STAMP AMU Benchmarking Tool’ in practices across Northern Ireland between 1st April 2021 and 31st March 2022. The tool can also be used to report antibiotic usage for the purposes of the Northern Ireland Beef and Lamb Farm Quality Assurance Scheme (NIBL FQAS), thereby replacing the need for vets to fill out the existing paper form.
 
Demonstrating the responsible use of antibiotics is a critical component of food production. A key challenge faced by vets and producers is gathering accurate information on the purchase and use of medicines on farms. However, the beef, sheep and dairy industry must respond to the needs of its customers. The benchmarking tool developed in partnership with the STAMP project partners and Farmvet Systems is a user-friendly web-based platform that captures and monitors antibiotic prescription use at farm level.  The tool permissions, aggregates and standardises existing data sets from vet practices, BCMS or vet entered records in VetIMPRESS to produce AMU reports in a few simple steps; with significant savings made on the time it takes to produce reports manually.  The tool also provides producers on commercial farms with key information that supports decisions to improve animal health and enables vets to have effective discussions with producers on how best to optimise the use of antibiotics.
 
Commenting on the funding opportunity, Colin Smith, Industry Development Manager at The Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland said: “LMC is delighted to confirm it will fund the installation cost of the STAMP AMU Benchmarking Tool.  The funding provides a one-off opportunity to help the industry meet the challenges ahead around strategic use of antibiotics. The application offers a quick and easy way to monitor antibiotic use with minimal data input and we are delighted to support the adoption of this tool in practices across Northern Ireland.”
 
George Brownlee, CEO of Farmvet Systems, continues: “The important area of antibiotic use in livestock production is increasingly coming under the spotlight. A capability of our VetIMPRESS platform is the capacity for vets to effectively monitor medicine usage. We are pleased to put our expertise towards the development of this industry-wide platform, which will lead to more responsible use of antibiotics for the long-term benefit of farmers, their animals and the public. The STAMP AMU Benchmarking Tool will enable vets to make informed decisions as advisors and provide an effective means for vets and producers to work together.”
 
Funding will be available to veterinary practices in Northern Ireland from 1^st April 2021 to 31^st March 2022 and will cover the cost of the software installation. Vets who wish to use the tool should contact Farmvet Systems Ltd directly to organise installation on 028 8674 7378 or visit www.vetimpress.com/stampni.
 
The STAMP project is led by AgriSearch in collaboration with the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI), Animal Health and Welfare Northern Ireland, LMC and Farmvet Systems Ltd (home of VetIMPRESS and in partnership with Vetoquinol).
 
For more information, contact:
 
Colin Smith
Industry Development Manager
Livestock and Meat Commission for Northern Ireland (LMC)
Lissue Industrial Estate, 1A Lissue Walk, Lisburn BT28 2LU
Phone: +44 (0) 28 9263 3000
Email: csmith@lmcni.com  
 
Samantha Martin
Food Producing Product & Solutions Manager
Vetoquinol (Partners of VetIMPRESS)
Pury Hill Business Park, Steadings Barn, Towcester NN12 7LS
Phone: +44 (0) 1280 825486
Email: samantha.martin@vetoquinol.com