International Seminar on Antimicrobial Reduction Concludes in Rongchang, China, Pushing Global Sustainable Livestock Development

The International Seminar on Pathways for Antimicrobial Reduction and Sustainable Livestock Development 2026 drew to a close in Rongchang, Chongqing, on April 29. After a two-year interval, the global spotlight once again turned to this major Chinese livestock hub, witnessing the solid implementation of the Rongchang Initiative and the in-depth advancement of global antimicrobial reduction efforts. China, through its practices in green livestock transformation, has offered pragmatic solutions to global food security and public health security.

In April 2024, the first FAO International Seminar on Antimicrobial Reduction was held in Rongchang, where more than 30 countries jointly issued the Rongchang Initiative and officially launched the RENOFARM Decade of Action—an initiative aimed at reducing the demand for antimicrobials and promoting sustainable livestock development. Originating from a county in China, this initiative was later incorporated into relevant resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly and the FAO Conference, becoming a guiding framework for global collaborative antimicrobial reduction. Over the past two years, the RENOFARM Action has been implemented in more than 70 countries and regions worldwide, transforming conceptual consensus into concrete practices and marking a crucial turning point in the global collaborative governance of antimicrobial resistance, a "silent public health crisis."

Antimicrobial resistance is listed as one of the top ten global public health threats, with the abuse of antibiotics in livestock farming being a key contributing factor. Data shows that approximately 110,000 tonnes of antibiotics were misused in food-producing animals globally in 2019, and 40% of antibiotic types were used in the treatment of zoonotic diseases. Veterinary drug residues, transmitted through the food chain, directly threaten human health, the safety of livestock and poultry products, and ecological security. Addressing this challenge requires not only breaking through technical bottlenecks in "reduction" but also reconstructing a green farming system—this is the core value of the Rongchang Initiative, which promotes the transformation of livestock farming from "passive drug reduction" to "proactive quality improvement" under the guidance of the "One Health" concept.

The "5G Principles," centered on health services, production practices, alternative solutions, incentives, and partnerships, form the core framework of the RENOFARM Action, providing a standardized guide for antimicrobial reduction efforts in various countries. Unlike the single approach of restricting or replacing antibiotics in feed, China has established a full-chain antimicrobial reduction system integrating "disease prevention and control, intelligent farming, and ecological recycling" based on its actual farming conditions, forging a distinctive path that balances supply security, income increase, and green development. In Rongchang, relying on national-level scientific research platforms such as the National Swine Technology Innovation Center and the National Swine Big Data Center, research teams have focused on the R&D of antimicrobial reduction technologies and model innovation, forming replicable and promotable Chinese experiences.

"The core of antimicrobial reduction is to reduce the reliance on antibiotics in farming; the key is to enhance the immunity of livestock and poultry and strengthen the biosecurity barrier," stated Wang Hongning, Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. She added that Rongchang has focused on targeted vaccine R&D, intelligent farming transformation, and the innovation of integrated planting and breeding models to reduce disease incidence from the source, achieving antimicrobial reduction, quality improvement, and efficiency enhancement in farming. The "Huaxi Tianyuan Pig" ecological breeding model developed by the National Swine Technology Innovation Center, based on the local Rongchang pig germplasm resources, integrates intelligent feeding, non-grain antibiotic substitution, and manure resource utilization technologies. It won the FAO Global Technical Achievement Award in the field of sustainable livestock transformation in 2025 and has now been promoted in multiple regions in Sichuan, Chongqing, and Yunnan, achieving a win-win situation of increasing farmers' income and promoting green industrial transformation.

Rongchang has continuously delivered cutting-edge antimicrobial reduction technologies, from adenosine heptapeptide—the first domestic swine immunomodulatory peptide antibiotic substitute additive—to sheep echinococcosis vaccines, nano-level disinfectants, and four vaccines from Aolong Biotechnology included in the FAO procurement catalog. As a microcosm of China's green transformation in livestock farming, Rongchang has established a full-chain system covering basic research, technological development, achievement transformation, and industrial services, becoming a global source of antimicrobial reduction concepts, a technology exporter, and a demonstration base for practices.

Currently, antimicrobial reduction has become a global consensus for livestock transformation. Italy has established the ClassyFarm evaluation system focusing on dairy farming, Thailand has issued good agricultural practices for pig farms, and Nigeria has explored a coordinated antimicrobial reduction path involving policies, supervision, technology, and industry based on its local small-scale farming conditions. The tailored practices of various countries have jointly enriched global green farming solutions. At this seminar, representatives from more than 30 countries exchanged experiences on antimicrobial reduction technologies, standards, and governance, promoting international policy coordination, project docking, and resource sharing, and injecting new momentum into the global antimicrobial reduction process.