The welfare connection between antibiotic overuse in farming and the global health threat of resistance.
Antibiotic resistance driven by agricultural overuse threatens both human and animal health. Animals in crowded, stressful farm conditions develop infections requiring antibiotic treatment creating selection pressure for resistant bacteria. Those resistant bacteria can transfer to humans through food and environment. Animals with antibiotic-resistant infections suffer more and are harder to treat. Improving farm animal welfare by reducing stress and stocking density reduces antibiotic dependence while simultaneously addressing resistance risk and individual animal suffering.