How antibiotic overuse in livestock farming harms both animal welfare through resistant infections and public health through superbugs.
Antibiotic overuse in livestock farming creates a destructive cycle that harms animal welfare in two ways. First, it masks poor management practices rather than addressing their root causes - animals get antibiotics instead of better housing or nutrition. Second, it drives the resistance that makes future infections harder to treat, causing greater animal suffering when infections occur. The transition to responsible antibiotic use requires investment in genuine disease prevention: better management, vaccination, and housing - all of which independently improve animal welfare. Reform is both an ethical imperative and a public health necessity.