Punjab intensifies efforts to curb AMR in poultry

Punjab is ramping up its drive to encourage careful antibiotic use, stricter biosecurity and cleaner farm conditions, Mettis Global reported. Poultry Research Institute director Dr Farhan Afzal told Wealth Pakistan that teaching growers about careful antibiotic use, farm hygiene and biosecurity is essential for healthy, sustainable production. He added that the provincial Livestock Department has regularly organised awareness campaigns.

Punjab is home to about 70% of the country's 15,000-plus poultry farms, so better practices there matter greatly for national supply of poultry meat and eggs. The province is also involved in activities under the Fleming Fund, a global programme combating antimicrobial resistance in people and animals. Dr Farhan cautioned that misuse of antibiotics can let bacteria resist medicines, making responsible use central to animal and human health.

He rejected claims of a spreading superbug, saying the term is unscientific and usually means bacteria resistant to several antibiotics. He said E. coli and Salmonella can be kept in check through basic sanitation, and that no significant zoonotic disease is present in the sector. Separately, the Bacteriology Laboratory at PRI Rawalpindi has recently gained accreditation from the Pakistan National Accreditation Council (PNAC), which should strengthen avian disease diagnostics. Poultry farmers back these steps and want a national biosecurity policy, and Dr Abdul Karim Bhatti, a former Punjab chairman of the Pakistan Poultry Association, urged a complete ban on over-the-counter antibiotic sales.