Surveillance of antimicrobial use and resistance in Canadian feedlot cattle

The Canadian Feedlot Antimicrobial Use (AMU) and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance Program (CFAASP) is a collaborative effort between the Canadian Integrated Program for Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CIPARS) and the Canadian beef industry. The beef industry is committed to addressing the complex issue of AMU/AMR, and continues to prioritize research in support of CRSB’s 2030 goal to “ensure the effectiveness of…antimicrobials is preserved to support human and animal health and welfare”.  

CFAASP has been collecting data and monitoring national trends in AMU and AMR in feedlot cattle since 2019, consistent with strategic CRSB aims to “quantify and describe baseline antibiotic use practices” and “determine and monitor antibiotic resistance profiles in bacteria of concern”. The program maintains broad financial and logistical support from feedlot veterinarians, producers, and other industry groups who may be significantly affected by changes to the availability or effectiveness of medically important antimicrobials. The scope and impact of the project has expanded since its inception to meet both the changing needs of the industry and the growing demands from retailers and trading partners to provide representative AMU/AMR data from commercial finishing feedlots.   

One of CFAASP’s core activities is to convert its surveillance data into useful information for feedlot industry stakeholders. Five years of AMU and AMR data (2019-2023) has been fully analyzed, reviewed with feedlot experts, and made publicly available to interested parties. The content and type of our knowledge transfer and translation products continues to evolve; these include annual industry reports, infographics and factsheets, webinars, conference presentations, and industry association websites. A newly-created website houses many of our available resources (https://cfaasp.ca/). Participating feedlot producers and veterinarians receive annual, individualized and anonymized reports that compare their AMU/AMR results to national benchmarks.  

Through its various components, this surveillance network generates reliable and representative AMU and AMR data that is otherwise unavailable. The network is thus uniquely positioned to support action-oriented research with industry and academic partners, and has been successful in its collaborative efforts to date (e.g., field investigations of rapid genomic technology to inform AMU with Genomic ASSETS). Critical insights regarding the epidemiology and study of AMU/AMR continue to emerge as a result of this work. For example, this project is integrating multi-year trends in AMU and AMR to highlight potential concerns (e.g., in-feed streptogramin use and resistance in Enterococcus spp. since 2020). Findings with specific relevance to cattle health and the collective effort toward improved disease outcomes are particularly valuable to veterinarians and their clients; for example, the project’s sub-analysis of primary isolation rates offers guidance to improve the recovery of respiratory pathogens in future studies.