General Welfare

Antibiotic Resistance and Animal Welfare Connections

Antimicrobial resistance threatens both human and animal health, and reducing antibiotic use in farming requires improving animal welfare conditions that currently drive disease and dependency.

Key Facts

The WHO estimates that 700,000 human deaths per year are attributable to antimicrobial resistance, a figure projected to rise to 10 million by 2050
Animals raised in better welfare conditions require fewer antibiotics because they experience less disease
Denmark reduced agricultural antibiotic use by 40% over a decade while increasing production through welfare improvements
Infections in both humans and animals are becoming increasingly difficult to treat as resistance spreads

Welfare Considerations

Antimicrobial resistance creates a link between animal welfare and human health outcomes that is both scientifically clear and politically potent. Factory farming conditions that necessitate prophylactic antibiotics accelerate resistance development. Improving welfare conditions — more space, better ventilation, lower density — reduces disease incidence and antibiotic need simultaneously, making the welfare and public health cases mutually reinforcing.

What You Can Do

Support AMR action plans that include agricultural antibiotic stewardship as a core component
Advocate for bans on prophylactic antibiotic use in livestock in your country
Choose higher-welfare animal products from farms that have achieved antibiotic reduction certification
Support the intersection of animal welfare and AMR advocacy to build broader coalitions for reform
Engage with the public health framing of livestock antibiotic use to reach audiences beyond animal welfare advocates