The Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) announced Nov. 5 the creation of the Task Force on Antibiotic Resistance in Production Agriculture.

The task force is comprised of representatives from U.S. agriculture colleges/land grant universities and veterinary colleges as well as key representatives from the production animal agriculture community and the pharmaceutical industry.

According to the announcement, the task force's goal is to help advise the federal government on a research agenda and also help publicly disseminate information on the use of antibiotics in production agriculture. Officials from key federal agencies are expected to serve as observers to the task force and leaders from public universities in Mexico and Canada will serve as ex officio members.

Scientists and the public have grown increasingly concerned about the evolution of antibiotic resistant bacteria in veterinary and human medicine. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) have expressed serious concerns as well. Some bacteria have developed defenses against different classes of antibiotic compounds.

"We recognize antibiotic resistance as a public health challenge and look forward to collaborating with APLU and the federal government on this critical initiative," said AAVMC executive director Andrew T. Maccabe, noting that many of AAVMC's member institutions are based at land-grant universities.

"This is an important collaborative effort," APLU president Peter McPherson said. "The task force and its members are well-positioned to advise the Obama administration as they consider strategies to address the judicious use of antibiotics in production agriculture."

Dr. Lonnie J. King, chair of the task force and dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine, said, "The task force will draw on the expertise of its members to serve as a knowledgeable and important source of advice for the federal government as it develops its plans. It can also make recommendations on further research that should be undertaken to develop alternative solutions for some antibiotic use in production agriculture."

On September 18, 2014, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) released a report, Combating Antibiotic Resistance, which laid out several recommendations to address the problem. President Obama has also issued an executive order that describes the antibiotic resistant bacteria problem as a national security priority and directs various executive branch departments and agencies to develop a specific plan of action by mid-February 2015 to address antibiotic resistance and protect public health.

APLU and AAVMC are broadly supportive of the goals articulated in President Obama's executive order and the framework provided in the PCAST report.

Once policies are established, according to King, APLU member institutions will play an important role in educating producers and the general public about the appropriate use of antibiotics in agriculture and veterinary medicine and the design of effective stewardship programs.

The task force's members include:

* Lonnie J. King, dean of The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine (chair of the task force);

* Robert A. Easter, president of the University of Illinois (co-chair of the task force);

* Richard A. Carnevale, Animal Health Institute vice president of regulatory, scientific and international affairs;

* Thomas Coon, vice president, dean and director of the Oklahoma State University Division of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources;

* Eleanor Green, the Carl B. King dean of veterinary medicine at the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences;

* Ronnie Green, University of Nebraska vice president and Institute of Agriculture & Natural Resources Harlan vice chancellor;

* Walter Hill, dean of the Tuskegee University College of Agriculture, Environment & Nutrition Sciences;

* Christine Hoang, assistant director of the Division of Scientific Activities at the American Veterinary Medical Assn.;

* Ashley Peterson, vice president of science and technology for the National Chicken Council;

* Willie Reed, dean of the Purdue University College of Veterinary Medicine;

* Kathy Simmons, chief veterinarian for the National Cattlemen's Beef Assn.;

* Liz Wagstrom, chief veterinarian for the National Pork Producers Council;

* Alastair E. Cribb, dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary, Alb. (ex officio);

* Francisco Jose Trigo Tavera, secretary of institutional development at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (ex officio);

* Andrew T. Maccabe, AAVMC executive director (organization ex officio), and

* Ian Maw, APLU vice president of Food, Agriculture & Natural Resources (organization ex officio).

APLU is a research, policy and advocacy organization representing 237 public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems and affiliated organizations. Founded in 1887, APLU is North America's oldest higher education association with member institutions in all 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, four U.S. territories, Canada and Mexico. Annually, APLU member campuses enroll 4.7 million undergraduates and 1.3 million graduate students, award 1.1 million degrees, employ 1.3 million faculty and staff and conduct $41 billion in university-based research.

AAVMC is a nonprofit membership organization working to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals, people and the environment by advancing academic veterinary medicine. Members include all 35 veterinary medical colleges in the U.S. and Canada, eight departments of veterinary science, seven departments of comparative medicine, 14 international colleges of veterinary medicine and six affiliate colleges of veterinary medicine.