The Farm Foundation NFP and the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) are co-hosting a March 17-18 workshop that intends to explore incentives and disincentives for development of new antimicrobial drugs and alternatives to antibiotics for use in food animals.

The workshop will take place March 17-18 at the ERS offices at Patriots Plaza III, 355 E Street SW, Washington, DC, and is geared toward policy makers, researchers and government agency staff, as well as representatives of the human health, livestock production, veterinary medicine and animal health industries.

The program highlights concerns that the rise of antibiotic resistance has led to a sharp decline in the number of new antibiotics being developed, and explores the factors required to incentivize research and development of new antimicrobial drugs and novel products. The animal pharmaceuticals market, regulatory protocols required to bring products to market and regulations on use of antibiotics in food production, and the overlap between human and animal antibiotic use and development will all be discussed during the event.

There is no charge to participate in the workshop but registration is requested and can be completed online.

The full program agenda may be found here.

For those individuals unable to travel to Washington, D.C. to participate in the workshop, a free audiocast is available. Registration for the audiocast is also available online. Details on how to access LiveMeeting for each session of the workshop are posted on the Farm Foundation website.