The Rongchang pig ranks among the world's eight finest swine breeds. (Photo/Rongchang)

Chongqing - The Information Office of the Chongqing Municipal People’s Government announced at a recent press conference that the 2026 International Symposium on Antimicrobial Reduction Pathways and Sustainable Animal Husbandry will be held in Rongchang from April 27 to 29.

Held by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the symposium is the world’s highest-level and largest international event on antimicrobial reduction.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the top ten global public health threats. The core of "antimicrobial reduction" lies in the scientific reduction of antibiotic use and the standardization of medication throughout the livestock breeding process.

In April 2024, Rongchang hosted its inaugural edition, where representatives from over 30 countries jointly issued the “Rongchang Initiative.”

Today, the UN General Assembly and the FAO Conference include the Rongchang Initiative in their official resolutions, while more than 70 countries and regions implement its framework.

Huang Xiangyang, Deputy Director of the organizing committee of the symposium, noted that this widespread adoption signals international recognition of the global action originating from Chongqing.

FAO “5G” model drives low-antibiotic pig farming

This year’s symposium will see the release of the "Rongchang Consensus" to provide new pathways for laboratory capacity building, alternative product promotion, and legal framework development.

Recognized by the FAO as the birthplace of China’s solution for green livestock transformation, Rongchang has pioneered the "5G Farm" model. 

Huang Xiangyang, deputy director of the symposium organizing committee, explained that “5G” does not refer to telecommunications but to five “good” practices: good healthcare, meaning disease prevention and vaccination; good management, meaning scientific feeding and hygiene; good incentives, meaning government awards for reduction efforts; good alternatives, meaning probiotics and fermented feed; and good environment, meaning market recognition for safe products.

This system has already been integrated into the breeding of local breeds like the Rongchang Pig and Fuling Black Pig, creating a technical framework that is resource-efficient, low-antibiotic, and ecologically intelligent.

To support these advancements, Liao Chuanjin, Deputy Secretary of the Rongchang District Committee and District Governor, announced the establishment of a 500-million-yuan special fund to facilitate technical transfers and collaborative projects signed during the symposium.

By 2030, Rongchang aims to produce over 20 major academic achievements, commercialize more than 10 technological results, and push the total value of the district's agricultural and livestock industrial chain past 50 billion yuan.

Regarding future global strategy, Huang outlined three key paths for the FAO in response to questions from the Western China International Communication Organization.

First, the FAO will promote the "China Model" by using Rongchang’s "5G" experience as a global guideline and establishing a technology transfer center.

Next, the FAO will expand the InFARM monitoring system to over 100 countries to standardize data sharing.

Finally, the strategy seeks to empower frontline production by providing alternative products, such as veterinary herbal medicines. The FAO aims to reduce the total amount of antimicrobials used in global agrifood systems by 30% to 50% by 2030.