From awareness to action: Lord Trees’ challenge to the veterinary profession on AMR

Speaking on behalf of RCVS Knowledge, former RCVS President Lord Alexander ‘Sandy’ Trees called on delegates to help shape a practical, sector-wide plan for responsible antimicrobial use, warning that the veterinary profession cannot afford to lose ground in the fight against resistance.

A call to action from a long-standing advocate

Lord Sandy Trees, a crossbench peer and former President of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, has spent much of his career pressing for a more coordinated approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) across human, animal and environmental health. Addressing delegates on behalf of RCVS Knowledge, he challenged the profession to move beyond awareness-raising and commit to developing an effective, deliverable roadmap that supports responsible antimicrobial usage in everyday clinical practice.

His message reflected a recurring theme in his parliamentary and professional work: that good intentions around stewardship must be backed by clear, measurable actions if resistance trends are to be reversed. He reminded delegates that veterinary professionals occupy a unique position at the intersection of animal welfare, food security and public health, and that decisions made in the consulting room or on farm can have consequences far beyond the individual patient.

Why a roadmap matters

AMR is widely recognised as one of the most significant long-term threats to both human and animal health. Few new classes of antibiotic have reached the market in recent decades, and none of these are licensed for veterinary use, meaning the profession is almost entirely reliant on preserving the effectiveness of existing agents. A clear roadmap, rather than a series of isolated initiatives, allows the sector to prioritise interventions, track progress consistently and adapt as new evidence emerges.

RCVS Knowledge has been building the evidence base and educational infrastructure to support exactly this kind of structured response. Its AMR Hub brings together resources on responsible antimicrobial and anti-parasiticide use, while the VetTeamAMR Learning Platform offers free continuing professional development covering species-specific prescribing, infection control, biosecurity and the behaviour change skills needed to support clients in changing long-held habits. Together, these resources are designed to give practice teams the confidence to challenge prescribing norms where appropriate, rather than defaulting to historical practice.

Aligning with the wider UK and international picture

Lord Trees’ challenge to delegates sits alongside a broader policy landscape. The UK’s second five-year national action plan on AMR, covering 2024 to 2029, sets out ambitions for the next phase of the country’s 20-year vision to contain and control resistance, while the annual Veterinary Antimicrobial Resistance and Sales Surveillance (VARSS) report continues to track antibiotic sales and resistance patterns across the veterinary sector. Industry-led efforts, including the RUMA Targets Task Force, have also reported sustained progress against sector-specific usage targets in livestock farming.

Internationally, the World Health Organization’s European Roadmap on antimicrobial resistance, endorsed by health ministers and delegates from across the region, sets out a menu of high-impact interventions that countries can adapt to their own national context. The parallel with Lord Trees’ call is clear: a roadmap only delivers value if it is specific enough to act on, while remaining flexible enough to suit different practice settings, from companion animal clinics to mixed and farm animal practice.

What delegates were asked to do

Rather than presenting a finished blueprint, Lord Trees framed the roadmap as a collective project, inviting delegates to contribute their clinical experience and front-line insight to its development. This included identifying practical barriers to responsible prescribing, such as client expectations, time pressures during consultations and gaps in point-of-care diagnostics, as well as highlighting where existing CPD and support resources are working well and where further investment is needed.

He also pointed to the role of initiatives such as the Antibiotic Guardian scheme and the seasonal Animal Medicines Amnesty, which encourages clients to return unused medicines for safe disposal, as examples of small, achievable actions that can be woven into a larger strategic framework. The emphasis throughout was on translating stewardship principles into habits that are easy for practice teams to sustain day to day.

Looking ahead

For RCVS Knowledge, Lord Trees’ intervention reinforces a message the organisation has been building for several years: that AMR cannot be solved through education alone, but requires sustained behavioural and cultural change, underpinned by accessible evidence and clear, shared goals. Delegates left with a direct challenge, to treat the development of the roadmap not as an administrative exercise, but as a professional responsibility that extends to every prescribing decision made in practice.