Welfare Science

Antimicrobial Resistance Animal Welfare

How antimicrobial resistance emerging from livestock agriculture affects animal welfare by reducing treatment effectiveness.

Key Facts

Overuse of antibiotics in livestock selects for resistant bacteria that can spread to humans and animals
Resistant bacteria can cause welfare-critical infections that become untreatable
The EU has banned use of antibiotics for growth promotion and restricted preventive use
UK veterinary antibiotic use has fallen 55% since 2014 through voluntary and regulatory action
Alternative disease prevention through vaccination and biosecurity protects both welfare and antibiotic effectiveness

Welfare Considerations

Antimicrobial resistance is both a cause and a consequence of animal welfare problems. Poor welfare conditions drive antibiotic overuse; overuse drives resistance; resistance renders treatable conditions untreatable. The cycle can be broken by improving welfare conditions, implementing antibiotic stewardship, and investing in non-antibiotic disease prevention. Welfare advocacy and AMR stewardship advocacy are therefore closely aligned.

What You Can Do

Support farms and veterinary practices with robust antibiotic stewardship programmes
Advocate for antibiotic use reduction targets in livestock production
Engage with One Health initiatives that address AMR in human, animal, and environmental contexts