Antibiotic Resistance, Farm Animals and the Welfare Connection

The intensive use of antibiotics in farm animals drives antimicrobial resistance that threatens both human health and the ability to treat animal infections in the future.

Key Facts

An estimated 73% of all global antibiotic use occurs in food-producing animals, predominantly for prevention rather than treatment of disease
Routine preventive antibiotic use masks welfare problems — removing antibiotics forces farms to address the crowding and stress that makes them necessary
The EU banned antibiotic growth promoters in 2006 and has progressively tightened preventive use rules — resistance rates in farm bacteria have declined accordingly
Denmark reduced farm antibiotic use by 50% between 2010 and 2020 without significant production losses by improving farm management
Antibiotic-resistant infections kill an estimated 700,000 people globally per year; projections suggest this could reach 10 million by 2050 without action
Higher-welfare systems with lower stocking densities and better housing show measurably lower antibiotic use than conventional systems

Welfare Considerations

The connection between farm animal welfare and antibiotic resistance is direct: poor welfare conditions — crowding, stress, inadequate ventilation — increase disease susceptibility and drive antibiotic use. Farms that improve welfare outcomes typically reduce antibiotic use as a consequence. The welfare and public health cases for reducing routine farm antibiotic use therefore reinforce each other. Consumers who choose higher-welfare products are simultaneously choosing products typically produced with lower antibiotic use. Supporting policy that restricts routine preventive antibiotic use in farms — as the EU has done progressively — addresses both welfare and resistance simultaneously.

What You Can Do

Choose meat and dairy products from certified higher-welfare systems with documented low antibiotic use
Advocate for national policies restricting routine preventive antibiotic use in livestock to EU standards or beyond
Support transparency requirements for farm-level antibiotic use data publication in your country
Reduce overall animal product consumption to decrease the total volume of farm antibiotic use globally
Learn about antimicrobial resistance and its farm connections to engage others in advocating for systemic change