Farm Animals

Farm Animal Welfare and Antibiotic Stewardship

Reducing antibiotic use in farm animals requires welfare improvements that reduce disease prevalence, linking antibiotic stewardship to animal welfare.

Key Facts

High-density industrial farming drives antibiotic use to prevent and treat disease
Prophylactic antibiotic use masks welfare problems rather than addressing them
Denmark eliminated routine prophylactic antibiotics by improving farm conditions
Lower-density, enriched systems have lower disease incidence and antibiotic use

Welfare Considerations

Antibiotic reduction in farm animals and welfare improvement are linked, not competing goals. Farms that reduce disease through better conditions need fewer antibiotics. Antibiotic stewardship programs that only target drug reduction without improving conditions may increase animal suffering.

What You Can Do

Support farms that have reduced antibiotics through welfare improvement
Advocate for antibiotic stewardship programs that address root causes
Choose welfare-certified products that are linked to lower antibiotic use
Back policy that links antibiotic use reduction to welfare standard improvement