The contamination of animals and animal products with antimicrobial resistant bacteria has been identified as a risk factor for human infection with resistant bacteria. For this reason, Canadian and international agencies are developing surveillance strategies to assess the risk of the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in the food chain. This information is necessary to assess the risks to Canadians, to provide information necessary to conduct pre-market and post-market evaluations of veterinary drugs, and to provide direction for research into organisms with emerging resistance.