History and Logo

Its creation and implementation

In October 2020, the AMVPQ Fund for Sound Antimicrobial Stewardship (FASA) was created at the request of financial partners wanting to support antimicrobial stewardship and the work done by veterinarians in their responsibility to promote judicious and responsible medication use. This new nonprofit organization was the result of reflection and consultations led by the Association of Veterinary Practitioners of Québec / Association des médecins vétérinaires praticiens du Québec (AMVPQ) with its members in 2019 and 2020.

Its independence and new name

In July 2022, the members of the Board of Directors voted that FASA become independent, without any hosting or coordination affiliation with a veterinary association, so it could carry out its mission in an agile, efficient and independent manner. It was renamed the Animal Health Fund for Sound Antimicrobial Stewardship / Fonds d’aide en santé animale favorisant une saine antibiogouvernance / (FASA) and became the complementary instrument of a financial resource that will contribute to the development of technological solutions and tools veterinarians can use to preserve and improve the health and well-being of cattle, small ruminants and horses, as well as public health. FASA’s vision is to be one of the key leaders in the development of forward-thinking veterinary tools for the collection, sharing and analysis of drug use data.

Its first major partner

In September 2022, FASA signed its first partnership agreement with CDMV Inc., valued at several hundred thousand dollars, for a three-year period. The funds from this agreement will propel FASA forward and help it accomplish its mission by providing for the organization’s management and by funding collaborative projects in line with its priority development focuses.

Its change in governance with the creation of an advisory committee

In January 2023, FASA launched a call for applications and hired its first part-time coordinator. This coordinator manages the organization and its projects, coordinates funding activities and supports the Board of Directors and its ad hoc committees in their duties.

In April 2023, in looking to form its first advisory committee, FASA launched a call for applications targeting University of Montréal’s faculty of veterinary medicine, Quebec’s ministry of agriculture fisheries and food (MAPAQ), the AMVPQ, the provincial association of animal industry veterinarians (AVIA), the milk producers of Quebec (PLQ) and the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI). The committee's mandate is to provide recommendations to the FASA Board of Directors regarding its positioning in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, its specific complementary role to ensure a clear understanding of its mission relative to other partners, and to identify the major issues in animal health environments for its strategic directions over the next three years. The advisory committee held three meetings during its first year (August 1, 2023, to July 31, 2024) and will meet 2 to 3 times per year. This committee has already enabled the FASA Board of Directors to review its vision and mission statements and to clarify its development areas for the coming years.

Its logo

The FASA logo is made up of intertwined squares symbolizing the collaboration between partners who have come together to reach a shared goal: To promote animal health and welfare in order to foster sound antimicrobial stewardship.

Since FASA’s creation, it was determined that it would be desirable to obtain an intellectual and/or financial contribution from several partners: veterinarians, CDMV, the agricultural producers’ union (UPA), animal health industries, universities (including University of Montréal’s faculty of veterinary medicine), as well as government agencies at both the federal and provincial levels, including MAPAQ of course. The different colours of the links indicate that these partners operate in different spheres while the fact that they are intertwined symbolizes how they come together at FASA.

The shape the squares form is reminiscent of a cross. This is meant to express the partners’ desire to ultimately contribute, through the various projects undertaken in collaboration with FASA, to the “One Health” concept already well integrated into its mission.

Through its various integrated animal health partnerships, FASA is looking to equip veterinarians for their advisory role and improve the tools they use on their patients, to help their clients make decisions based on evidence-based medicine.