Livestock Antibiotic Stewardship and Animal Welfare

How responsible antibiotic use in livestock protects both animal welfare and public health, and what stewardship programmes look like in practice.

Key Facts

Approximately 70% of all antibiotics used globally are consumed in livestock production
Overuse of antibiotics in farming drives antimicrobial resistance that threatens human and animal medicine
Many antibiotics used in livestock were historically given at sub-therapeutic doses to promote growth rather than treat disease
The EU banned growth-promoting antibiotic use in 2006, with significant reductions in resistance patterns following
Welfare improvements that reduce the need for antibiotic treatment are the most sustainable stewardship approach

Welfare Considerations

Antibiotic use in livestock is a welfare issue from multiple angles. Antibiotics are often used to compensate for poor welfare conditions — overcrowded, stressed animals with compromised immune systems get sick more readily and need more treatment. This creates a problematic cycle: poor welfare drives antibiotic use, antibiotic use masks the welfare problem, and the resulting resistance eventually threatens the ability to treat sick animals at all. The most welfare-positive and sustainable approach to antibiotic stewardship is addressing the underlying welfare conditions that generate disease risk, rather than relying on antibiotics as the backstop for poorly managed production systems.

What You Can Do

Choose meat and dairy products from farms with published antibiotic use data and stewardship commitments
Support RUMA (Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture) and equivalent bodies in your country
Advocate for the end of routine preventive antibiotic use in all livestock production systems
Follow the development of antibiotic resistance surveillance in agriculture and its animal welfare implications
Support welfare improvements in farming as the most sustainable approach to reducing antibiotic dependency