Antibiotics in Livestock: Welfare and Resistance

The overuse of antibiotics in intensive livestock production drives antimicrobial resistance while masking the underlying welfare conditions that make disease so prevalent.

Key Facts

An estimated 70% of all antibiotics globally are used in livestock production
The WHO has classified several antibiotics as critically important for human medicine
Prophylactic use of antibiotics allows intensive overcrowding by suppressing disease
EU banned routine prophylactic antibiotic use in livestock from 2022
Antibiotic resistance kills an estimated 700,000 people annually; this could reach 10 million by 2050

Welfare Considerations

Intensive livestock systems frequently rely on routine antibiotics to suppress the infections that would otherwise be caused by overcrowding, poor ventilation, and stress. This masks the welfare failures that drive disease rather than addressing them. Reducing antibiotic use requires genuine welfare improvements: lower stocking densities, better ventilation, enrichment, and breed selection for health. Welfare-positive farming systems and antibiotic stewardship are inseparably linked.

What You Can Do

Choose animal products from systems with low or no prophylactic antibiotic use
Support the EU antibiotic restriction model in other markets
Advocate for antibiotic reduction targets linked to welfare improvement, not just prescribing
Reduce consumption of intensively-produced meat to lower demand for antibiotic-dependent systems
Support research into alternatives to antibiotic use in livestock