The overuse of antibiotics in factory farming drives antimicrobial resistance. This harms human health globally while also masking underlying welfare problems in farmed animals.
The welfare dimension of antibiotic overuse in farming is dual. First, reliance on antibiotics masks poor welfare - animals in crowded, stressful, disease-prone conditions are kept alive through medication rather than by improving their conditions. Second, the resulting resistance threatens effective treatment of animal diseases in future, meaning sick animals may be untreatable. Reducing antibiotic use by improving welfare standards is both a public health and animal welfare imperative. The UK's significant reduction in farm antibiotic use demonstrates that change is possible without compromising animal health when welfare is improved.