| Sumario: | Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an escalating threat to animal, human, and environmental health. In livestock production systems, antimicrobials are commonly used to prevent and control infectious diseases, particularly in settings characterized by weak biosecurity, high stocking densities, and limited access to veterinary services. Strengthening the measurement of antimicrobial use at the farm level is therefore critical for generating robust
evidence to inform antimicrobial stewardship, surveillance systems, and evidence-based policy decisions.
Pig production systems are highly heterogeneous, varying in scale, management intensity, herd structure, and disease burden. These differences result in diverse antimicrobial use practices, including therapeutic, metaphylactic, and preventive administration. Decisions around antimicrobial use are shaped by farm management practices, access to animal health services, availability of products, and local production constraints.
Despite the importance of pigs in many food systems, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, systematic and comparable data on antimicrobial use in pig production remain limited. This is largely due to weak recordkeeping practices and the absence of practical, standardized tools that can be applied consistently across
settings.
The pig FarmUSE tools were developed to address this gap by providing a structured approach for documenting antimicrobial use at farm level in pig production systems. The tools support the collection of information on farm characteristics, herd management, animal health events, and antimicrobial administration practices. They are designed for use in both cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs, enabling users to generate comparable antimicrobial use data across farms, production systems, and geographic contexts. By facilitating consistent measurement of antimicrobial use, the pig FarmUSE tools aim to support research, surveillance, and policy efforts focused on improving antimicrobial stewardship in pig production.
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