Press Release: 27 May 2025
Public Consultation launched to inform the development of Ireland’s next National Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance
The Department of Health and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine have today jointly launched an online survey which provides the public with an opportunity to inform the development of Ireland’s next National Action Plan for Antimicrobial Resistance.
Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) causes medicines such as antibiotics to become less effective, or even useless, in the treatment of infection. This increases the likelihood of disease spread or severe illness. AMR is recognised as one of the top ten global public health threats by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
To tackle this issue, Ireland has adopted a holistic One Health approach working across human health, animal health, and the environment sectors, using our national action plan as a roadmap.
The survey which is open to the general public, is a key step in the stakeholder consultation process on the new action plan, which will be Ireland’s third action plan on AMR. We are seeking the views of participants on antibiotic use, current policy on AMR, and future actions that Ireland should take to address this important issue. The survey will remain open until Friday, 13 June 2025.
The Chief Medical Officer for the Department of Health, Professor Mary Horgan, said:
“Antimicrobial resistance is ranked as is one of the top threats to public health globally. The emergence and spread of resistant microbes threaten our ability to treat common infections and perform lifesaving medical and surgical procedures that allow people to live healthier for longer.
We have made a lot of important progress over the first two national action plans therefore it is essential for us to build on this work to ensure that we protect access to safe and effective medicines”.
The Chief Nursing Officer for the Department of Health, Rachel Kenna, said:
“As with our previous national action plans, a guiding principle in the development of this plan will be a focus on people – patients and their families, clinical staff, and all healthcare workers – working together to reduce antibiotic use and prevent infection.
This survey gives us an opportunity to hear the views of the public on how we should continue to address the challenge that AMR presents.”
The Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr June Fanning added that:
“AMR remains a challenge not just for human health, but also animal health, food security and our shared environment. Ireland has always adopted a One Health collaborative approach to tackling AMR involving many different sectors and I welcome this survey which will guide our collective efforts to continue to effectively address AMR over the next 5 years.’”