MINNEAPOLIS — The International Poultry Council (IPC), Cargill Inc., and several other prominent players in the poultry industry were recently added to the USAID-funded Transformational Farm Output Risk Mitigation (TRANSFORM) project.

Eleven organizations which comprise more than 30% of global poultry meat production, covering all poultry production sectors from fully integrated systems to small farms announced the adoption of IPC’s principles on Nov. 14.

They included the following:

  • Animal Husbandry Association of Vietnam (AHAV)
  • Asociación Latinoamericana de Avicultura (ALA)
  • British Poultry Council (BPC)
  • Canadian Poultry & Egg Processors (CPEP)
  • Cargill Inc.
  • Chicken Farmers of Canada (CFC)
  • Hoa Phat, a Vietnam-based company
  • McDonald’s Corp.
  • Srinivasa Farms, an India-based company
  • Turkey Farmers of Canada (TFC)
  • Tyson Foods Inc.

These organizations join eight global groups that adopted or endorsed the principles in March.  

As part of the initiative, IPC continues to push its antimicrobial use stewardship principles. The principles will guide poultry producers to avoid the use of antimicrobials. However, when needed, the principles ensure that antimicrobials are being used with wise stewardship.

“Each of the 19 organizations that have endorsed or adopted the antimicrobial use stewardship principles brings us closer to our goal of an industry-wide commitment,” said Robin Horel, president of IPC. “We’re inspired by the private sector leadership that has been demonstrated thus far, and hope others are motivated to take action to proactively reduce risks to their flocks and beyond.”

By committing to the project, organizations agree to the four key principles laid out in TRANSFORM, starting with taking a risk-based approach to understand the specific use of antimicrobials. Next, adopt management practices to reduce the need for antimicrobials. Third, using antimicrobials only in compliance with national authorizations. Finally, antimicrobials critically important for human medicine should only be used under a supervising veterinarian’s diagnosis and oversight.

“Through the One Health approach, we know that human health is linked with the health of animals,” said Annie Kneedler, chief party for TRANSFORM. “By advancing science-based antimicrobial use stewardship principles, we are able to create an ecosystem where animal health improves, the need for antibiotic use decreases, and animal production increases. These collective efforts contribute to the Global Health Security Agenda goals of reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance and zoonotic diseases, lessening their impacts on the health of humans around the world.”

TRANSFORM was created to increase access to safe and affordable animal-sourced nutrition by advancing animal health solutions.