Scottish dairies needed for antimicrobial resistance research

Dairy farmers in Aberdeenshire, Moray, Angus and Stirlingshire are invited to take part in a study of antimicrobial resistance on farms.

Researchers at the James Hutton Institute in Aberdeen, in partnership with microbiologists at the Rowett Institute, are hoping to better understand links between antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance on farms in Scotland.

The study, which is funded by the Scottish government, will include looking at whether farmers could be more exposed to drug-resistant microbes through use and handling of antibiotics, including in slurry and waste milk.

See also: Antibiotics use falls to new lows on British farms

Participating farmers will get to see the results of both their own and their cattle’s gut microbiome analysis. They will also be offered a free soil analysis.

The deadline for signing up is 3 March, and farm visits, including interviews and soil, water and slurry sampling, will need to be completed by the end of March.

All outputs from the study will be anonymised. To take part, or for more information, contact carol.kyle@hutton.ac.uk.