Antibiotic use in livestock has welfare implications both for the animals treated and, through antimicrobial resistance, for future animals and humans whose infections may become untreatable.
Antibiotic stewardship in livestock has a complex welfare dimension. Reduced antibiotic use driven by resistance concerns is welfare-positive when it is achieved by improving husbandry conditions that prevent disease. It is welfare-negative if it is achieved by allowing treatable bacterial infections to progress untreated due to cost concerns. Animals with bacterial infections that receive appropriate antibiotic treatment recover from suffering; those denied treatment due to antibiotic reduction targets suffer unnecessarily. The welfare-compatible approach to antibiotic reduction improves the conditions that necessitate treatment rather than simply treating less.