Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been labeled by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity. Driven by misuse and overuse of antimicrobials, where 76% of global antibiotics are used in agriculture. AMR results in bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi no longer responding to the medicines we have to treat infections and is making it increasingly difficult to reduce the spread of disease. What has driven AMR and what are the potential harms of the 'impending apocalypse' narrative of antimicrobial resistance?

We have done things a little differently for this episode of the Climate Proof-Food Podcast! This episode was hosted by our guest host, Luke Spajic. Luke is a food system research student from Australia, with a background in health. He is a member of the Leadership Team of the Sustainable Consumption Action Track of the UNFSS and a member of the agriculture working group of the youth constituency to the UNFCCC. He is a passionate advocate for fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food systems.

In this episode, Luke speaks to Dr Claas Kirchelle. Dr Claas Kirchelle is a historian of science, medicine, and technology at University College Dublin. His doctoral and postdoctoral research at the University of Oxford explored the history of antibiotic use, resistance, and regulation and culminated in an award-winning book “Pyrrhic Progress. The History of Antibiotics in Anglo-American Food Production.”

In this episode, Luke and Dr Kirchelle discuss Pyrrhic Progress and the contribution of agriculture to antimicrobial resistance. Their conversation covers:

• The scale of the problem posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and what we know about agriculture’s contribution to it
• The history of our awareness of AMR
• The potential harms of the ‘impending apocalypse’ narrative of antimicrobial resistance, as well as more accurate representations of the challenge
• The history and reasons for the use of antibiotics in agriculture
• Why past attempts to stem agricultural antibiotic use have not sufficiently addressed the problem
• What should be done to mitigate antimicrobial resistance and agriculture’s contribution to it, including what can be learned from international efforts to mitigate climate change
• What we can do as individuals to address AMR

If you found this episode interesting, be sure to follow Dr Kirchelle on Twitter at @kirchhelle and consider purchasing Pyrrhic Progress to learn more. Alternatively, the book is available for free as an open access option supported by the Welcome Trust.

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Music:
Hustle by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3890-hustle
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0