Animal Welfare and Antibiotic Resistance

The overuse of antibiotics in livestock farming drives antimicrobial resistance, threatening both animal welfare and global human health. Reducing use benefits both.

Key Facts

Approximately 73% of globally sold antimicrobials are used in food-producing animals, primarily for growth promotion and disease prevention.
The WHO classifies antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats to global health, food security, and development.
Preventive antibiotic use in livestock — treating entire herds prophylactically — is now banned in the EU and UK.
Farms with better welfare standards (lower stocking densities, good nutrition, enriched environments) require fewer antibiotics.
Critically important antibiotics (CIAs) such as colistin and fluoroquinolones are still used extensively in livestock in some countries.
Antibiotic resistance genes can transfer from livestock bacteria to human pathogens, with potentially fatal consequences.

Welfare Considerations

Antibiotic use in livestock and animal welfare are deeply interconnected. Poor welfare conditions — overcrowding, stress, inadequate nutrition — increase disease susceptibility, which drives antibiotic use. Conversely, better welfare reduces disease burden, reducing the need for antibiotics. The two goals are mutually reinforcing: improving welfare is one of the most effective strategies for reducing antibiotic use in farming. This has both animal welfare benefits and major global public health implications, since reducing antimicrobial resistance is among the most important health interventions available. Regulatory action, consumer pressure, and farm welfare improvements all contribute to this dual goal.

What You Can Do

Choose meat and dairy from farms with welfare certification and antibiotic stewardship commitments.
Support campaigns by organisations like RSPB, WWF, and CIWF linking food system reform to antibiotic stewardship.
Advocate for international agreements restricting growth-promotion and prophylactic antibiotic use in livestock.
Reduce meat consumption overall — fewer animals in intensive systems means less antibiotic pressure.