Large amounts of antibiotics are used in livestock, but several countries have shown this doesn’t have to be the case

Overuse is a risk for antibiotic resistance, but there are ways to reduce it.

For humanity, antibiotics are a huge blessing. Antibiotics have saved millions of lives from bacterial infections. However, there is growing concern that these bacteria will become resistant to the drugs we use against them.

When we think about antimicrobial resistance, we often focus on what drugs humans take. We might not even consider the use of antibiotics in livestock, but they also pose a threat.

In fact, much more antibiotics are given to livestock than to humans. Researchers previously estimated that, in the 2010s, around 70% of antibiotics used globally were given to farm animals..1 While there hasn’t been an update of these figures in the last few years, it’s likely that more antibiotics are still used in livestock than humans.

Overusing antibiotics in livestock increases the risk of disease in animals and humans in several ways. First, antibiotics are often used as a cheap substitute for basic animal welfare practices, such as giving animals enough space, keeping their living environments clean, and ensuring that barns are well-ventilated.2 A failure to maintain hygienic conditions on farms increases the risk of disease for both livestock and humans.

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Pigs, chickens, and cattle use very different amounts of antibiotics

Antibiotic use differs hugely between countries

Some countries have reduced antibiotic use a lot

These countries have managed to decouple a healthy and productive livestock industry from antibiotic use

More selective use of antibiotics, improved welfare practices, and eating less meat could reduce the risks of antimicrobial resistance