11:30am - 1:00pm

LOCATION: Mississippi Room, Coffman Union

WEBSITE: https://consortium.umn.edu/lecture/antimicrobials-agriculture-and-food-production-use-overuse-misuse

300 Washington Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455

PRESENTER:
Prof. H. Morgan Scott, DVM, PhD
Texas A&M University

In-person and webcast attendance options available. 
Beverages provided; please bring a brown-bag lunch.

Considerable disagreement exists over the definitions of prudent antimicrobial use and stewardship in agriculture and food production. This arises from a fundamental problem: so-called objective science remains insufficient for determining what is judicious – or injudicious – use, simply because any use of an antimicrobial will apply pressures that select for resistant bacteria. Justifiable antimicrobial use policies, therefore, are not for science alone to decide; they can only be properly deliberated through broader public discourse. To be credible, such a conversation needs to fully consider social norms, moral imperatives (to both humans and animals), and ethical features that should frame future antimicrobial stewardship practices. Prof. Scott will explore these issues using real examples from around the world and the United States, reflecting policy decisions at farm, industry, country, and global levels. He will then examine longer-term, more sustainable approaches to antimicrobial resistance that go beyond the technical to fully account for the conflicting moral obligations inherent in balancing animal welfare and public health. 

Dr. Jeff Bender, UMASH Co-Director, is moderating this event.