Farm Animals

Livestock Antibiotic Use and Animal Welfare

Routine antibiotic use in livestock production masks welfare problems while contributing to antimicrobial resistance that threatens both human and animal health.

Key Facts

An estimated 70% of global antibiotic use occurs in food animal production
Routine prophylactic antibiotic use enables producers to raise animals in conditions too crowded for health without them
The WHO classifies antimicrobial resistance as one of the greatest threats to global health
The EU banned prophylactic group antibiotic use in livestock from 2022 with some positive welfare outcomes

Welfare Considerations

Prophylactic antibiotics enable factory farming densities by suppressing disease outbreaks that would otherwise require housing improvements. Reducing antibiotic dependency requires improving animal welfare conditions — more space, better ventilation, lower stress — rather than treating disease caused by poor welfare. AMR also threatens the ability to treat infections in farm animals themselves.

What You Can Do

Choose products from farms that have achieved antibiotic stewardship certification
Advocate for a ban on routine prophylactic antibiotic use in livestock in your country
Support higher welfare farming systems that reduce disease incidence and antibiotic need
Urge your government to monitor and report antibiotic use by sector
Support research into welfare-based disease prevention alternatives