Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Antibiotic Stewardship and Welfare

Reducing antibiotic use in pig farming through improved welfare and biosecurity has mutual benefits for animal health, human health, and pig welfare.

Key Facts

Prophylactic antibiotics have been used to compensate for poor welfare conditions in intensive pig farming
EU law bans routine prophylactic antibiotic use in food animals
Farms with good welfare conditions use significantly less antibiotic than those with poor welfare
Reducing antibiotics requires improving ventilation, stocking density, nutrition, and biosecurity
Antibiotic resistance development in pig farms has human health implications through shared pathogens

Welfare Considerations

Farms relying heavily on antibiotics often do so because underlying welfare conditions create disease susceptibility. The EU ban on prophylactic antibiotic use has driven welfare improvements as producers address root causes of disease. Antibiotic use data is increasingly used as a welfare proxy indicator.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for antibiotic stewardship in pig farming
Advocate for antibiotic use data transparency as a welfare audit criterion
Choose pork from farms with documented low antibiotic use