Antimicrobial use data collection in animal agriculture.

Antimicrobial drug use can contribute to the emergence of antimicrobial drug-resistant organisms; therefore, judicious use of this important category of drugs is critical in both human and animal medicine to slow the development and spread of resistance. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is committed to advancing efforts to implement good antimicrobial stewardship practices in veterinary settings as part of our mission to protect human and animal health. In order to understand the drivers of resistance in veterinary settings and assess the impact of interventions designed to slow the development and spread of resistance, it is vital to have access to scientifically sound data on antimicrobial use and resistance. In 2016, FDA awarded funds in the form of cooperative agreements to support pilot projects for the collection of farm-level antimicrobial use data in animal agriculture. These funded data collection efforts are intended to provide needed information on antimicrobial use practices in various animal production settings and to inform the development of long-term strategies for collecting and reporting such data in a sustainable and nationally representative manner. Data were collected from records of participating dairy and feedlot cattle operations, swine companies, and broiler and turkey companies. Information from the first 2 years of the pilot projects is presented in this special issue, along with discussions related to challenges of collecting and reporting antimicrobial use data.