Farm Animals

Pig Welfare and Welfare and Public Health Connections

Pig welfare and public health are connected through antibiotic resistance, zoonotic disease, and food safety, creating shared interests in welfare improvement.

Key Facts

Antibiotic use in pigs contributes to resistance genes that affect human medicine
Zoonotic pathogens including Salmonella and Campylobacter originate partly from pig farming
Higher welfare pig systems typically use fewer antibiotics, reducing AMR risk
Pandemic preparedness requires surveillance of pig-human pathogen interfaces
One Health frameworks explicitly link farm animal welfare to human and ecosystem health

Welfare Considerations

Pig welfare is a public health issue as well as an ethical one. Shared interests between welfare and public health create powerful arguments for improvement.

What You Can Do

Support One Health approaches in agriculture and public health policy
Advocate for antibiotic stewardship as a welfare and public health measure
Share the public health connections of pig welfare in your advocacy