Antibiotic Stewardship in Animal Agriculture: Welfare and Public Health

Overuse of antibiotics in livestock is driving antimicrobial resistance that threatens human and animal health. Stewardship programs reduce antibiotic use while maintaining animal health through welfare-compatible practices.

Key Facts

Approximately 73% of global antibiotic use is in animal agriculture, primarily as growth promoters and disease prevention
The WHO classifies medically important antibiotics that are used in livestock as a critical antimicrobial resistance threat
Denmark reduced antibiotic use in pigs by 50% between 1992 and 2008 through regulations without reducing animal health outcomes
Antibiotic-free production requires higher biosecurity, vaccination, and management standards that often improve animal welfare
Critically important antibiotics including colistin and third-generation cephalosporins are still used in livestock in many countries
Voluntary industry commitments to responsible antibiotic use have been insufficient without regulatory mandates
Farm-level welfare improvements including better housing, enrichment, and stress reduction reduce disease incidence and antibiotic need
Phage therapy, competitive exclusion bacteria, and probiotics are being developed as antibiotic alternatives

Welfare Considerations

The welfare dimension of antibiotic stewardship is often overlooked in the public health framing of this issue. When antibiotics are used as growth promoters or routinely for disease prevention without veterinary oversight, they may be masking welfare problems — poor housing conditions, crowding, and stress — that would otherwise be apparent as disease and require addressing. The reduction of routine antibiotic use requires compensating welfare improvements that actually prevent the disease that antibiotics previously managed. This means that antibiotic stewardship programs, when implemented correctly, drive welfare improvements as a mechanism for maintaining animal health. The countries that have most successfully reduced antibiotic use have done so partly by improving animal living conditions.

What You Can Do

Choose meat and dairy products from certified antibiotic-free or responsible use farms
Support regulatory action to end prophylactic and growth-promoting antibiotic use in livestock
Advocate for veterinary oversight requirements for all antibiotic use in food animal production
Support research into antibiotic alternatives including phage therapy and probiotics for livestock
Engage food companies about their antibiotic use policies and progress toward responsible use standards
Reduce meat consumption overall as an indirect way to reduce total antibiotic use in food production