Farmed Animal Antibiotic Stewardship and Welfare

How responsible antibiotic use in animal agriculture supports both welfare and antimicrobial resistance prevention.

Key Facts

Approximately 65-70% of medically important antibiotics globally are used in animal agriculture
Prophylactic antibiotic use to prevent disease in intensive systems is increasingly banned in the EU and being reduced in the US
Welfare-positive farming with lower stocking densities and better conditions reduces antibiotic use naturally
Animals experiencing chronic stress have compromised immune systems — requiring more antibiotic intervention
Antibiotic stewardship in agriculture is both a welfare and a public health intervention

Welfare Considerations

Antibiotic stewardship in animal agriculture represents a convergence of animal welfare and public health concerns. The use of antibiotics to compensate for welfare-compromising conditions — overcrowding, stress, and poor hygiene — treats the symptom while perpetuating the underlying welfare problem. When welfare is genuinely improved through better housing, lower stocking densities, and enrichment, antibiotic need decreases because animal immune function improves. This creates an alignment between welfare improvement and antibiotic stewardship that should motivate regulatory and market-based reform simultaneously. The welfare-positive approach is also the antimicrobial-stewardship-positive approach.

What You Can Do

Support food companies with documented antibiotic stewardship commitments and welfare improvements
Advocate for complete elimination of prophylactic antibiotic use as welfare conditions in farms improve
Learn about the connection between farm animal welfare and antibiotic resistance as linked issues
Choose products from farms that demonstrate reduced antibiotic use alongside improved welfare standards