ICARS joined partners in Harare, Zimbabwe for the official launch of a poultry abattoir wastewater project designed to reduce the release of antibiotic-resistant microbes, resistance genes and antibiotic residues into the environment.
Dr Sunday Ochai, Head of One Health at ICARS, and Dr Jonathan Mayito, Science Advisor: AMR Mitigation, represented ICARS during a visit to Zimbabwe from 13th to 17th July 2026. Alongside the launch, the visit included meetings with national partners, technical discussions with the project team and visits to the two participating poultry abattoirs.
2. Engineer Samson Shumba , Chairman Department of Construction and Civil Engineering (University of Zimbabwe)
3. Sunday Ochai
4. Mrs Slyvia Yomisi, Laboratory Manager ( Environmental Management Agency)
5. Dr. Junior Mutsvangwa, Director General ( Biomedical Research and Training Institute)
Why poultry abattoir wastewater matters for AMR
Wastewater produced during poultry processing can contain antibiotic residues, resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes. Without effective treatment, these can enter water systems and soil, contributing to the environmental spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
Local surveillance conducted in Harare in 2021 and 2022 found that 52.7% of wastewater and river samples tested positive for highly drug-resistant, extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli. Nearly two-thirds of processed poultry samples also contained highly drug-resistant Escherichia. coli.
The project will examine how wastewater treatment can interrupt these pathways and reduce the risks to surrounding communities, natural resources and food production.
Testing a locally adapted wastewater treatment system
The three-year poultry abattoir wastewater project will test a hybrid modular treatment system at two poultry abattoirs in Zimbabwe. The aim is to identify an approach that is effective, affordable and suited to the operating conditions of local abattoirs.
The two participating facilities, SliceAgro and Mashwede, process approximately 17,000 birds and generate an estimated 240,000 litres of wastewater between them each day. During the site visits, the project team reviewed the abattoirs’facilities’ existing wastewater management systems and considered how the proposed treatment technology could be incorporated into their operations.
The research will assess the performance and cost of the treatment system while examining the practices, regulatory conditions and incentives that could influence its continued use and wider adoption.
A partnership between government, research and industry
The project is led by the Biomedical Research and Training Institute in partnership with Zimbabwe’s Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, the Environmental Management Agency and the University of Zimbabwe, with support from ICARS. SliceAgro and Mashwede are participating as the project’s implementation sites.
The official launch was presided over by Mr Abraham Zivayi Matiza, representing the Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife. It was attended by representatives from government authorities, research and academic institutions, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the participating abattoirs.
Discussions at the launch focused on the need for evidence that can inform both day-to-day wastewater management and national environmental policy. The involvement of regulators, researchers and abattoir operators from the outset is intended to ensure that the research responds to operational realities as well as public and environmental health priorities.
The ICARS delegation also visited the Environmental Management Agency, the Biomedical Research and Training Institute and the University of Zimbabwe. These meetings covered the scientific, regulatory and laboratory capacity needed to implement the study and translate its findings into policy and practice.
Next steps
The project team will now finalise the research protocol and complete the required review processes. Preparations will then continue for the demonstration prototype and pilot treatment systems that will be tested at the participating abattoirs.
Evidence from the project is expected to help abattoir operators improve wastewater management, support regulators in addressing the environmental dimensions of AMR and inform future policies and guidelines in Zimbabwe.
Read more about the poultry abattoir wastewater treatment project in Zimbabwe.
