UK roadmap to address antimicrobial resistance and achieve a safe and scaled up sanitation-agriculture circular economy

In January 2019, the UK published its vision for AMR to be contained and controlled by 2040. The vision recognises that a global problem as significant and complex as AMR requires long-term action, working across sectors, which must strengthen understanding of AMR itself alongside developing measures, and strategies that can best control it. In the most recent UK national action plan (Confronting antimicrobial resistance 2024 to 2029) a ‘One Health’ approach and a shared vision to contain and control AMR is highlighted as a crucial step forward given the close links between humans, human food, animals and the environment (including water, crops and land). It is encouraging to see that agriculture recognised within this context, including the need for improved understanding about what drives resistance in natural environments, with explicit reference to the spread of resistance genes in soil. In response to this, a UK roadmap to prioritise research and regulatory efforts in agricultural systems is needed to tackle key questions raised in the 5-year national action plan such as ‘What are the basic drivers and effects of AMR, and how does it spread?’ and ‘How can we prevent AMR from spreading’. Joined up and coordinated efforts that mobilise multiple sectors, disciplines and communities at varying levels of society will, in the longterm, ensure successful delivery of objectives set out in the 20-year vision for AMR. Only through these efforts can we address the need for clean water and soils, safe and nutritious food, and contribute to sustainable agricultural development.