Veterinarians, livestock farmers learn about safe use of antibiotics
The Centre for One Health at Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, recently organised two training programmes aimed at improving livestock health practices and tackling the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The two-day sessions were held at the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) in Barnala for livestock farmers and at the Centre for One Health for veterinarians. The training, funded by the Asian Development Bank and Zenex, India, with support from Sathguru Management Consultancy, Hyderabad, drew around 40 livestock farmers from Barnala district and 20 veterinarians from across the state.
The farmers’ training focused on improving animal health practices, while the second training programme centred on raising awareness about AMR and promoting the One Health approach, which links human, animal and environmental health.
Dr JPS Gill, the vice-chancellor of the university, praised the Centre for One Health for its efforts to educate farmers and veterinarians, strengthening their capacity to address AMR and zoonotic diseases through holistic methods.
Dr SS Randhawa, the dean of the College of Veterinary Science, Dr AK Arora, director of research, and Dr PS Tanwar, associate director of KVK Barnala, highlighted the significance of these training programmes in raising awareness among farmers and enhancing veterinarians’ ability to manage AMR challenges.
Dr JS Bedi, director of the Centre for One Health and the training coordinator, commended the participants for their enthusiasm and stressed the importance of responsible antibiotic use in combating AMR. Dr Deepali, organising secretary and principal investigator of the project, apprised participants of zoonotic diseases, their transmission from animals to humans and strategies for effective prevention and control.
Resource persons from Vet Varsity, KVK Barnala and Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana, interacted with participants on various topics, including animal disease prevention, vaccination, judicious antibiotic use, alternatives to antibiotics, farm biosecurity, clean milk production, silage-making techniques and gender equality in livestock farming.
