On 26 January 2023, Porkcolombia’s Executive Vice President and Director of Research and Technology visited ICARS headquarters to discuss our collaborative projects and scope out future initiatives.
Our partnership with Porkcolombia, a guild representing the pork producers of Colombia, stretches back to 2021 when we launched our first project, co-funded by the UK Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF). The project aimed to understand the potential of subsidised diagnostic services, in supporting more frequent and better disease diagnosis and the prudent use of antimicrobials in the country´s swine industry.
The project which concluded in summer last year, used qualitative and quantitative research methodologies to understand the barriers and enablers for pig producers to access and utilize the diagnostic services. These research findings will be used to support policy development, improve implementation practices, and enhance the diagnostic centre and its services.
The findings of this project will greatly inform Porkcolombia’s engagements in Denmark as they travel with representatives from the Danish pig industry to visit farms and diagnostic labs to learn about the Danish experiences and services provided by such diagnostic units. This cross-country knowledge exchange could prove useful when considering how to translate the new evidence generated from our projects into policy and action.
While in Denmark, the delegation from Porkcolombia joined a discussion with ICARS, SEGES, The Danish Agriculture and Food Council, and the Danish Veterinary and Food Administration on how we can collaborate to strengthen capacities of Pork Colombia in pig disease prevention, detection and control as means to reduce antimicrobial use. The trip also provided an opportunity to visit laboratories at the University of Copenhagen and Statens Serum Institute, the same campus where the ICARS headquarters are located.
The meeting at ICARS provided a valuable opportunity to plan next steps for disseminating the findings from our completed project. The team discussed the importance of promoting results within and beyond Colombia, to show the synergies possible in other Latin American countries. Finally, as we have multiple interventions underway in Colombia the teams were urged to coordinate cross-project meetings to share emerging findings and lessons learned, to strengthen capacity and identify complimentary results.
To find about more about our projects in Colombia visit:
- Reducing antimicrobial use through improved provision of colostrum and use of vaccines in weaning pigs in Colombia
- FARM interventions to control antimicrobial resistance (FARM-CARE)
Related links: Colombian pig producers: You are a good example to follow in many areas | The Agricultural Newspaper (landbrugsavisen.dk)