Antibiotic Resistance and Animal Agriculture

Overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming drives antimicrobial resistance, threatening both animal welfare and human health worldwide.

Key Facts

Over 70 percent of medically important antibiotics globally are used in livestock production
Antibiotic resistant infections cause an estimated 1.27 million deaths annually worldwide
The EU banned prophylactic antibiotic use in livestock in 2022
Denmark reduced livestock antibiotic use by 50 percent without harming production by improving animal welfare
AMR threatens to make routine surgeries and infections untreatable by 2050 without action
Higher welfare farming systems with lower stocking densities require fewer antibiotics

Welfare Considerations

The link between animal welfare and antibiotic resistance is direct: poor welfare conditions create disease pressure that drives antibiotic use. Improving welfare — through lower stocking densities, enrichment, outdoor access, and better husbandry — reduces disease incidence and the need for antimicrobials. Welfare and AMR control are therefore mutually reinforcing goals.

What You Can Do

Support policies restricting prophylactic antibiotic use in livestock
Choose welfare-certified animal products that minimise antibiotic use
Advocate for improved livestock welfare standards as an AMR control strategy
Support research into vaccination and welfare-based alternatives to antibiotic use
Engage with One Health frameworks that link human, animal, and environmental health