Antibiotic-free beef and dairy production raises important welfare questions about treatment of sick animals when antibiotics are withheld.
The welfare concern with antibiotic-free production is not the label itself but the risk that some producers deny necessary antibiotic treatment to sick animals to preserve certification status. This would be a serious welfare failure - withholding effective treatment from suffering animals for commercial reasons. Responsible antibiotic-free programs treat sick animals with antibiotics when needed and simply remove them from the program. Consumers should support antibiotic stewardship that does not compromise individual animal welfare.