To mitigate the spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) among food-producing animals during transport, it is crucial to minimize travel times and thoroughly clean vehicles, equipment, and spaces where animals are loaded and unloaded, according to a scientific opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). The opinion also highlights the importance of appropriate transport organization, as well as taking actions to improve animal welfare, health, and biosecurity before and after transport.
According to EFSA, AMR was directly linked to 33,000 deaths in the EU in 2019. Humans can acquire resistant bacteria through the food chain; isolates have been obtained from the environments of food-producing animals, the animals themselves, and farm staff, and the sources of resistant bacteria have been reported at animal transport, lairage, and slaughter. Research has also demonstrated that the transfer of genes—including AMR genes—may be induced when animals are under stress.