Farm Animals

Antimicrobial Resistance and Farm Animal Welfare

Overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming drives antimicrobial resistance, threatening human health globally — and better welfare reduces antibiotic dependency in a virtuous cycle.

Key Facts

Approximately 70% of global antibiotic use is in agricultural animals, not humans
Growth-promoting antibiotics are used in some countries to accelerate weight gain in healthy animals
AMR kills approximately 700,000 people annually globally — projected to reach 10 million by 2050
Higher welfare farming systems show lower disease rates and reduced antibiotic dependency
EU banned growth-promoting antibiotic use in 2006 with positive outcomes for resistance patterns

Welfare Considerations

Animals in poor welfare conditions — crowded, stressed, on poor substrate — have suppressed immune systems and higher disease rates requiring more antibiotic treatment. Better welfare reduces prophylactic antibiotic use. This creates a direct link between animal welfare improvement and human health: healthier animals need fewer drugs, reducing resistance selection pressure.

What You Can Do

Choose antibiotic-free or responsibly antibiotic-used certified meat products
Advocate for growth-promoting antibiotic bans in countries that still permit them
Support ONE Health approaches linking animal welfare and human antibiotic stewardship
Donate to Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics campaigns for antibiotic reform in farming