Policy and Welfare

Antimicrobial Resistance: Farming and Animal Welfare

Antimicrobial resistance threatens both human and animal health, with higher-welfare farming practices playing a key role in resistance reduction.

Key Facts

WHO designates antimicrobial resistance as one of the top ten global public health threats
Higher-welfare farming systems use 30-50% fewer antibiotics per animal than intensive systems
Colistin, a last-resort human antibiotic, has been used prophylactically in some livestock
UK agricultural antibiotic use fell 55% between 2014 and 2022 through industry action

Welfare Considerations

The welfare-resistance connection is direct: healthier, better-housed animals need fewer antibiotics. Prophylactic antibiotic use to compensate for poor conditions treats a symptom while worsening the underlying cause. Animals that develop antibiotic-resistant infections face prolonged suffering from untreatable disease.

What You Can Do

Support higher-welfare farming systems as part of antimicrobial resistance strategy
Advocate for complete prohibition of prophylactic antibiotic use in healthy animals
Ask food companies about their antibiotic stewardship programs
Reduce meat consumption to decrease total demand for antibiotic-intensive production