Antibiotic Use in Livestock and Animal Welfare

Antibiotic use in livestock production affects animal welfare directly and creates antimicrobial resistance threatening human and animal health.

Key Facts

Approximately 75% of global antibiotic use occurs in livestock in some countries
Routine preventive use of antibiotics in livestock was banned in the EU in 2006
Growth promoter antibiotics were used sub-therapeutically to improve growth rates
Antimicrobial resistance kills an estimated 700,000 people annually and threatens animal treatment efficacy
High-welfare farming systems typically use fewer antibiotics because animals are healthier

Welfare Considerations

Antibiotic use in livestock intersects welfare in two ways. Therapeutic use treats sick animals and is welfare-positive. Preventive and growth-promoting use is welfare-negative because it enables poor welfare conditions to persist that would otherwise be unsustainable. The relationship is circular: factory farming enables disease requiring antibiotics; antibiotics enable factory farming to persist. Higher-welfare systems use fewer antibiotics because healthier animals in better environments get sick less often.

What You Can Do

Choose animal products from farms with low antibiotic usage
Support policies restricting preventive antibiotic use in livestock
Learn about antimicrobial resistance and its connection to livestock farming
Advocate for welfare improvements as part of antibiotic stewardship policy
Reduce consumption of animal products from high-antibiotic use production systems