Overuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture drives antimicrobial resistance and masks poor welfare conditions. Stewardship programmes protect both animal and human health.
Antibiotic use in animal agriculture is both a welfare indicator and a welfare determinant. Systems that rely heavily on preventive antibiotics often do so to compensate for poor welfare conditions including overcrowding, inadequate ventilation, and high disease pressure. Higher welfare systems with better animal health require fewer antibiotics because underlying conditions are addressed. Responsible stewardship includes using antibiotics only under veterinary prescription for sick animals, maintaining health records, and implementing biosecurity and management improvements to reduce infection pressure. This approach simultaneously improves animal welfare and reduces the public health risk of antimicrobial resistance.