The relationship between antibiotic use in livestock and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has welfare dimensions that are often overlooked. Reducing antibiotic use requires improving animal health.
The push to reduce antibiotic use in livestock farming has an important welfare dimension. Antibiotics are sometimes used as a substitute for good husbandry — preventing disease in animals housed in conditions where disease would otherwise be inevitable. Simply restricting antibiotic access without improving housing, stocking density, and management can mean more animals suffering preventable diseases. The welfare-positive path to reducing antibiotics involves investing in better husbandry, vaccination, biosecurity, and selective rather than prophylactic treatment — a win for both animal welfare and public health.