The overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture drives antimicrobial resistance — a public health crisis that is also a direct indicator of inadequate animal welfare conditions in farming.
The connection between animal welfare and antibiotic use is direct and significant. High-density, welfare-poor farming conditions create chronic stress and disease pressure that make preventive antibiotic use economically attractive for producers. Animals are sick more often because they live in conditions that compromise their immune systems — and antibiotics mask the welfare problems rather than addressing them. Improving welfare conditions by reducing crowding, providing enrichment, improving stockmanship, and allowing species-appropriate behaviors reduces disease pressure and antibiotic dependence. The public health crisis of antimicrobial resistance and the animal welfare crisis of intensive confinement farming share the same root cause and the same solution: higher welfare standards.