Antibiotic overuse in livestock drives antimicrobial resistance, threatening both human and animal medicine - welfare improvements that reduce infection rates simultaneously address both concerns.
Antibiotic resistance and animal welfare share a common solution pathway: improving livestock welfare reduces disease incidence and thereby reduces antibiotic dependency. The most significant antibiotic use drivers in livestock - respiratory disease in pigs, mastitis in dairy cows, footrot in sheep - are all welfare conditions that better management addresses. Regulatory reduction in prophylactic antibiotic use creates pressure to improve underlying welfare conditions rather than mask them with drugs. The public health imperative around antibiotic resistance provides political support for welfare improvements that would otherwise face commercial resistance. Advocates can use the antibiotic resistance argument to build coalitions for welfare improvement.