Antimicrobial resistance driven partly by livestock antibiotic use threatens both human and animal health, while appropriate stewardship reduces resistance while maintaining animal welfare through better prevention and diagnosis.
Antibiotic stewardship and animal welfare are deeply interconnected: overuse of antibiotics in livestock has historically substituted for the welfare improvements — better housing, lower density, better nutrition — that would reduce disease incidence naturally. The withdrawal of routine prophylactic antibiotics without accompanying welfare improvements would simply increase animal suffering from preventable disease. Done correctly, stewardship programmes that mandate welfare improvements alongside antibiotic reduction achieve the dual goal of preserving antibiotic efficacy for humans while improving conditions for animals. The significant reduction in livestock antibiotic use achieved in some countries without loss of animal health demonstrates that this is achievable when welfare and stewardship are addressed together.