Livestock Antibiotics and Animal Welfare

The relationship between antibiotic use in livestock and antimicrobial resistance is a major public health concern, but antibiotic reduction must be accompanied by welfare improvements to avoid causing animal suffering.

Key Facts

Livestock consume approximately 65% of all antibiotics used globally in some estimates
EU regulations banned growth-promoting antibiotic use in 2006 and prophylactic group treatment in 2022
Antibiotic reduction without welfare improvement causes animals to suffer from treatable infections
Metaphylactic treatment of sick groups where individual identification is impractical is permitted under EU rules
Organic farming generally uses fewer antibiotics but does not prohibit therapeutic use

Welfare Considerations

The challenge of antibiotic reduction in livestock is that antibiotics are currently used in part because welfare conditions that cause disease have not been adequately addressed. Reducing antibiotic use without improving housing, nutrition, and management can result in untreated infections causing animal suffering. The correct approach is to address the root causes of disease through better welfare standards, reducing the need for antibiotics rather than simply removing them from already-stressed animals. This requires investment in farm infrastructure and management that may not be feasible for all producers without support.

What You Can Do

Choose products from farms that can demonstrate low antibiotic use combined with good welfare indicators
Support farming transition programmes that improve welfare alongside reducing antibiotic dependency
Advocate for policies that make welfare improvement a prerequisite for antibiotic reduction programmes
Recognise that antibiotic stewardship and animal welfare are complementary rather than competing goals
Donate to research into non-antibiotic disease prevention approaches in livestock