Farm Animal Welfare

Pig Welfare and Antibiotic Stewardship Progress

How reducing antibiotic use in pig farming simultaneously improves welfare and public health outcomes.

Key Facts

Antibiotic use in pig farming has fallen by over 50% in the UK since 2015 through industry stewardship
Better welfare conditions - more space, enrichment, and lower stress - reduce disease incidence and antibiotic need
Critically important antibiotics (CIAs) are now banned from routine use in EU livestock
Antibiotic reduction without welfare improvement can increase disease and suffering - the two must go together

Welfare Considerations

Antibiotic reduction and welfare improvement are complementary goals, not competing ones. Farms that invest in welfare conditions achieve lower disease rates and lower antibiotic use simultaneously. Policy that demands antibiotic reduction without welfare investment risks shifting suffering rather than reducing it.

What You Can Do

Support antibiotic stewardship schemes that link reduction targets to welfare improvement
Choose pork from producers with published antibiotic use data alongside welfare metrics
Advocate for One Health approaches that integrate welfare, AMR, and public health policy