AKIPRESS.COM - Russia is backing an FAO-led effort to promote food safety and prevent the spread of medicine-resistant "superbugs" in food and on farms in five countries in Central Asia and Eastern Europe with a donation of nearly $3.3 million, FAO said in a release on April 3.

A new Russia-supported FAO project in Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan will help national authorities get a better handle the threats posed by antimicrobial resistant microbes in agriculture and food systems.

The bulk of the funding will be used to support action on three broad fronts:

• Strengthening the regulatory and legal frameworks that underpin national efforts to address antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in agriculture and food chains, including the development national response strategies
• Building the capacity of national surveillance systems to monitor and test for AMR in food systems
• Raising awareness among farmers, animal- and human health professionals, food safety authorities and others regarding AMR risks and how to manage them

The first major push to escalate awareness of AMR in food and agricultural systems in the region will take place next month when FAO and Russia convene an International Conference on Food Safety and Risk Analysis in Sochi, 18-19 May.

The event will bring together more than 350 participants from government, the private sector and the scientific community as well as health and nutrition specialists to exchange experiences and best practices on nutrition and food safety -- including AMR.