Participatory Policy Making by Dairy Producers to Reduce Anti-Microbial use on Farms.

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Medicine
• Agricultural Science
• Social Science

Background:

• Increasing pressure for responsible antimicrobial (AM) medicine use in food animals from policymakers and industry.
• Need for participatory approaches alongside regulatory measures for welfare interventions and disease prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a participatory policy-making process enabling dairy producers to develop an AM stewardship policy.
• To foster collaboration and learning among producers, veterinarians, industry, and researchers.

Main Methods:

• A participatory policy-making approach was used with groups of dairy producers.
• Integration of scientific research with producers' practical knowledge and experience.

Main Results:

• Development of a producer-agreed AM stewardship policy.
• Measures agreed upon for responsible AM use while maintaining or improving dairy herd health and welfare.
• Facilitation of collaboration, dialogue, and comprehensive learning among stakeholders.

Conclusions:

• Participatory approaches are effective for developing credible and practical AM stewardship policies in livestock.
• This multidisciplinary research integrates social science into veterinary practice.
• The study serves as a pilot for promoting responsible veterinary medicine use in other livestock species.