Historical archive

Call on Germany to adress AMR (Antimicrobial resistance)

Historical archive

Published under: Solberg's Government

Publisher: Ministry of Agriculture and Food

Minister of Agriculture and Food, Sylvi Listhaug, is urging the state secretary of the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Maria Flachsbarth, to address AMR as a main issue at the international agriculture conference in Berlin in January 2016. Some 80 agricultural Ministers and state secretaries from around the world will convene in the German capital to discuss food security and other global issues of agricultural policy.

– Antibiotics resistant bacteria is one of the biggest challenges the world must face in the near future. Overconsumption of antibiotics is a major health hazard, and agriculture worldwide must shoulder its part of the burden of reducing any significant negative impact. Europe must cooperate on this, Listhaug said. A delegation headed by State Secretary of the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Maria Flachsbarth, visited Norway from 25. to 27. October, to study Norway's animal welfare programme, particularly on pork production.

Minister of Food and Agriculture Sylvi Listhaug and State Secretary of the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Maria Flachsbarth met on Monday 25.
Minister of Food and Agriculture Sylvi Listhaug and State Secretary of the German Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Maria Flachsbarth met on Monday 25. Credit: Ministry of Food and Agriculture

Germany is the largest pork producer in Europe, and the visit is part of the initiative by German Minister of Food and Agriculture Christian Schmidt: "A question of attitude. New approaches to better animal welfare", detailing objectives like ending routine tail docking of newborn piglets in German pig farms.

After meeting Minister Listhaug, Maria Flachsbarth visited the Veterinary Institute, where the delegation also met representatives from the FSA and Animalia, the national animal health authority, as well as individual  pork producers.