Antibiotics used in human medicine are rapidly losing their effectiveness owing to an increase in resistant bacteria. The food production chain is presumed to play a key role here, both as a reservoir for and in the formation of these resistances. With the help of basic research and practical solutions, REDYMO – the Agroscope research programme on the ‘Reduction and Dynamics of antibiotic-resistant and persistent Microorganisms along food chains’ – will provide answers.