Two years ago ICAR established a task force to identify common measures and traits recorded across many countries. ICAR created a list and supporting definitions of measures and traits tied to dairy sustainability that would apply worldwide. The standards developed by ICAR are key to the products and services provided by milk recording organizations, milk analysis labs, AI’s, genomic testing labs, equipment (such as parlor) manufacturers, dairy information service providers, ID companies, and more. As a result of that initial work, a list of measures and traits was established that countries could incorporate into some type of dairy sustainability index. Countries, like Canada and the United Kingdom, have already moved forward building such indexes for their dairy industry.

Robert Fourdraine, PhD was a member of ICAR's working groups and represented input from the United States on which measures to include and the definition of how to calculate those measures. The results of this two-year effort were presented in June at the ICAR annual meeting in Spain to representatives from all over the world. The goal moving forward is to promote the existence of these resources and definitions to the dairy industry and organization involved in the dairy industry. ICAR believes this work will be key to ensure we have a uniform worldwide standard on how to calculate these measures/traits.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognized as a growing global threat requiring action in new product research and development and greater stewardship of antimicrobial use (AMU) in human and animal health. The Reagan-Udall Foundation recently released the report, Tracking Antimicrobial Use in Food-Producing Animals. The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA is partnering with the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) to explore the development of a public-private partnership framework for collecting and analyzing real-world data regarding antimicrobial use (AMU) in food-producing animals. The Foundation facilitated a series of working sessions with stakeholders to gather input on the benefits, costs, and challenges of creating and maintaining a voluntary AMU data repository that could enhance understanding of how antimicrobials are used in animals and support antimicrobial stewardship. FDA is seeking public comment on this report, and the potential framework it describes. Deadline for comments is October 31, 2023.

Reagan-Udall Foundation's Chief Operating Officer, Amar Bhatt, PhD, will present the report findings virtually on Wednesday, September 27, 2023 at 2 p.m. central.

The webinar is complementary to NIAA members and is $25 for non-members.