Our partners, our stakeholder group, are central to our work at SONAAR. They continue to give voluntarily and generously of their time, effort and support to work along with us and we acknowledge and thank them for their ongoing help and commitment to the control of AMR in Scotland. 

Our group comprises representatives from:

• Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC)
• British Horse Society (BHS) Scotland
• British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA)
• British Veterinary Association (BVA) Scotland*
• British Veterinary Nursing Association (BVNA)
• Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra’s) Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD)
• Farm Vet Champions
• Food Standards Scotland (FSS)
• Livestock Heath Scotland
• Responsible Use of Antibiotics in Medicine Alliance - Companion Animal and Equine (RUMA-CAE)
• NHS NSS Antimicrobial Resistance and Healthcare Associated Infection (ARHAI)
• Public Health Scotland
• Quality Meat Scotland (QMS)
• Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC)
• Scottish Government
• Scottish Veterinary Schools:
  • University of Glasgow’s School of Veterinary Medicine and
  • Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies

* comprising veterinary representatives from the cattle, sheep, pig, poultry, fish and aquaculture, horse, companion animal, exotic and wildlife sectors

 

The SONAAR Programme evolved from Health Protection Scotland's Controlling Antimicrobial Resistance in Scotland or CARS programme (which brought together the website) when the current AMR strategy began in 2019.

The core Scottish Animal Health and AMR (SAHAMR) Group was created in late 2015, when group members highlighted a need to coordinate and centralise guidance available to animal owners and veterinary professionals, which lead to the development of this website. 

The Scottish Veterinary Antimicrobial Stewardship Group (SVASG) subgroup followed in early 2017 and the groups were merged during the COVID-19 pandemic, still meeting twice or three times annually with remit in relation to animal health to:

• Review the current situation in Scotland pertaining to optimising disease avoidance and antimicrobial stewardship, within the UK AMR Strategy
• Provide a clear understanding of what is already in place and where structures and systems need to be improved or developed
• Improve professional education, training and public engagement in relation to the need for more sustainable use of antibiotics
• Providing better access to and use of surveillance data in animal sectors
• Contribute to Scotland’s national action plan on AMR and to provide leadership and commit resources to ensure its delivery