Reducing antibiotic use in livestock through improved welfare and husbandry practices serves both animal welfare and public health objectives simultaneously.
The connection between animal welfare and antibiotic stewardship is more than correlational. Animals under chronic stress have suppressed immune function, making them more susceptible to infections that require antibiotic treatment. Improving welfare - reducing crowding, improving ventilation, providing enrichment - directly reduces disease incidence and antibiotic need. The welfare case and the stewardship case point to the same management improvements.