Antibiotic resistance is a major global health threat. Livestock antibiotic use contributes to resistance, but reducing use has welfare implications that require careful management.
Antibiotic stewardship and animal welfare are potentially in tension: reducing antibiotic use without addressing underlying welfare drivers can leave animals suffering from treatable conditions. The welfare-positive approach to stewardship addresses root causes - reducing stress, overcrowding, and environmental disease risk factors that drive antibiotic use in the first place. Where antibiotics are genuinely needed for treatment, their use is entirely appropriate and welfare-supportive. The goal is to eliminate prophylactic and metaphylactic use driven by poor management, not to deny sick animals effective treatment.