Antibiotic Use in Livestock and Animal Welfare

The widespread use of antibiotics in livestock production raises both public health concerns about resistance and animal welfare concerns about the underlying conditions making antibiotics necessary.

Key Facts

Approximately 70% of all antibiotics globally are used in livestock, primarily for growth promotion and prophylaxis
Antibiotic-resistant infections kill an estimated 700,000 people annually — projected to reach 10 million by 2050
Denmark reduced pig antibiotic use by 50% after a 1999 ban on growth-promoter antibiotics with no loss of productivity
UK farm antibiotic use has fallen by 55% since 2014 following voluntary and regulatory action
Animals requiring prophylactic antibiotics are often in welfare-compromising conditions — the drugs mask underlying problems

Welfare Considerations

Antibiotic use in livestock is simultaneously a public health issue and an animal welfare indicator. When antibiotics are used to prevent disease outbreaks in densely housed animals, it often signals that underlying conditions are causing disease pressure. Rather than treating the system that generates disease, antibiotics maintain productivity while welfare problems persist beneath the surface. Genuinely improving animal welfare — through better housing, lower stocking densities and adequate nutrition — reduces the need for antibiotics. This connection between welfare improvement and antibiotic stewardship creates aligned incentives for reform.

What You Can Do

Choose meat from farms with reduced or no prophylactic antibiotic use
Support policies requiring veterinary prescription for all livestock antibiotic use
Advocate for higher welfare housing standards that reduce disease pressure on farms
Learn about the connection between antibiotic resistance and intensive animal farming