Poultry sector: Pakistan, ICARS sign MoU to combat antimicrobial resistance

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Denmark-based International Centre for Antimicrobial Resistance Solutions (ICARS) on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) under which ICARS will fund research projects worth USD 540,855 over three years.

Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain attended the virtual signing ceremony, along with senior ministry officials, ICARS representatives and researchers.

Under the MoU, ICARS will fund a research project worth USD 540,855, led by the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, in collaboration with the Poultry Research Institute, Rawalpindi.

The minister, while speaking on the occasion, said that antimicrobial resistance posed a serious threat to human and animal health, food security and agricultural productivity. Proper antibiotic use and evidence-based interventions were mandatory for better livestock production.

He said that scientific research would deliver practical benefits to farmers and contribute to Pakistan’s National Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance.

Helle Engslund Krarup, Executive Director of ICARS, said that the partnership would generate scientific evidence on alternatives to antibiotics and help reduce antimicrobial use and resistance in Pakistan’s poultry industry.

Rodolphe Mader, Senior Science Advisor of Veterinary Sciences at ICARS, explained that the project would test organic acids as a potential alternative to antibiotics through a randomized controlled trial involving 30 poultry farms, with 15 farms receiving the intervention and 15 serving as controls.

He said that the research would assess antibiotic consumption, antimicrobial resistance, poultry health, and farm performance, with a target of reducing antimicrobial treatments by at least 20 percent without compromising productivity.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2026