The widespread use of antibiotics in livestock farming drives antimicrobial resistance while also reflecting welfare failures in systems where disease is endemic. Reducing antibiotic use requires improving animal health and welfare.
Heavy antibiotic use in livestock systems is both a cause and consequence of poor welfare. Intensive conditions with high density, poor ventilation, and stress create disease pressure that antibiotics mask rather than cure. Animals living in conditions that cause endemic disease suffer from that disease regardless of antibiotic treatment — the welfare problem precedes the antibiotic response. Reforming livestock systems to improve health through better environments reduces both animal suffering and the public health threat from antimicrobial resistance.