Antibiotic Resistance: Welfare Consequences of Intensive Farming

The overuse of antibiotics in intensive farming drives antimicrobial resistance with welfare consequences for both animals and humans.

Key Facts

Around 40 percent of all antibiotics globally are used in farm animals
The UK reduced farm antibiotic use by 55 percent between 2014 and 2022
Antibiotic-resistant infections kill over 1.2 million people annually globally
Intensive farming conditions necessitate prophylactic antibiotic use to prevent disease spread
The WHO has classified several farm antibiotics as critically important for human medicine

Welfare Considerations

The connection between antibiotic use and animal welfare is complex. Intensive farming systems that crowd animals together increase disease risk and historically necessitated prophylactic antibiotic use. Reduction in antibiotic use without improving underlying welfare conditions can lead to increased disease and suffering. Farm animals that develop antibiotic-resistant infections may suffer more severely. Welfare improvements that reduce disease pressure are the ethical alternative to antibiotic dependency.

What You Can Do

Choose meat, poultry, and dairy from farms with high welfare standards that reduce antibiotic need
Support campaigns for mandatory reporting of farm antibiotic use in all countries
Advocate for a ban on preventive use of critically important antibiotics in healthy animals
Support transition to higher welfare farming systems that reduce disease pressure
Reduce meat consumption to decrease the scale of intensive production that drives antibiotic use