Why do they give farmed animals antibiotics?

Antibiotic use for farmed animals underpins the factory farm system. By treating animals who are often sick because they are confined to factory farms, antibiotics sustain intensive practices and ultimately the production of cheap meat.

But, what’s really cheapened is the value placed on life—both nonhuman and human. Drug use on factory farms is a leading cause of antibiotic resistance, a serious health threat facing humanity.

Experts predict that, if we don’t drastically curb antibiotic use, resistance could be responsible for 10 million deaths each year globally by 2050. In the UK, antibiotic resistance is on the Government’s national risk register alongside terrorism and pandemic flu.

It’s a crisis—and one factory farming plays a big role in.

Why are antibiotics used on animals?

Factory farms use antibiotics to keep animals alive in squalid, unnatural conditions that could otherwise result in sickness and even death. Outside of Europe, it also remains legal to use the drugs to encourage rapid growth in animals.

Antibiotics are essential to treat ill animals, but they’re currently used to prop up the poor conditions of factory farming, and this comes at another, more serious cost: global antibiotic resistance among humans.

Should we be worried about antibiotic resistance?

Antibiotic resistance occurs when antibiotic drugs are given to an individual—animal or human—and the drugs kill most, but not all, of the bacteria causing the infection. The surviving bacteria learn how to survive the drug, eventually becoming resistant to its effects.

At least 700,000 people die each year from antibiotic-resistant infections; those with compromised immune systems—for instance people with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or chronic inflammatory conditions—are most at risk.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious problem, and adds to the long list of ways factory farms inflict harm on people, animals, and the environment. It’s yet another reason we need to repair our broken food system.

Why are pigs given antibiotics?

On pig farms, antibiotics may be prescribed by a veterinarian. While these drugs should be used as treatment—and only when absolutely necessary—unfortunately antibiotics are often given as a tool for control and prevention. It’s a bit like a human constantly taking antibiotics just in case they get injured.

Antibiotics are predominantly given to piglets at the time of mutilations (like tail docking and castration) and when mixing different litters together, to prevent possible illnesses.

Outside of Europe, producers may be encouraged to give blanket antibiotics to mother pigs (sows) with an end goal of maximising profit. As they are kept in small sow stalls, they are highly stressed and prone to disease.

By giving antibiotics to sows, they can encourage healthier litters that would have otherwise been more prone to disease and smaller in weight due to the stressful conditions the sow suffers during pregnancy.

Why are cows given antibiotics?

Likewise, antibiotics are given to cows to manage a range of horrible diseases including lameness, pneumonia, metritis (high temperature and vaginal discharge around the time of calving), and clinical mastitis. The cows are more predisposed to these issues due to their genetic makeup, having been selectively bred to maximise milk production.

While, naturally, any animal lover would support relief for the cows, making antibiotics a desirable option, these ailments could be avoided in the first place if the animals were kept in better conditions, and their bodies were not constantly exploited. The availability of antibiotics simply helps the industry to justify the mistreatment of animals.

Why are chickens given antibiotics?

In the wild, chickens live in small flocks, exploring a range of habitats as they forage for insects, seeds, and other food. These chickens can live for a decade or more, all without intervention from human beings. By contrast, in factory farms, broiler chickens (those raised for meat) only live for up to six weeks before they are sent for slaughter, having suffered a plethora of horrible health problems in their short lives.

The majority of chickens raised for food in the UK come from factory farms, where they are kept in extremely crowded, filthy conditions. These intensive units are the antithesis of natural living conditions for chickens, meaning disease—and so the need for treatment—is rife.

Poor living conditions are only compounded by the way chickens are selectively bred to grow so large so quickly. This is a problem because the chickens' bodies struggle to support their own weight, leading to skeletal and joint issues and lameness. Fast-growing breeds experience extreme suffering, and their predisposition to health problems can create a need for antibiotic treatment as they are more prone to disease. Ironically, outside of Europe, antibiotics are still used to further promote growth.

Can humans get antibiotic resistance from animals?

In 2017, The World Health Organization (WHO) recommended that farmers and the food industry stop using routine antibiotics. They found that, in some countries (outside of Europe, where it is illegal), 80 percent of medically important antibiotics are used in the animal sector, largely for growth promotion in healthy animals—contributing to the rising threat of antibiotic resistance.

While the UK is not one of the countries using drugs for growth, this worrying statistic illustrates the scale of the problem and a growing global threat.

In the Netherlands, retailers have moved to using higher welfare breeds and discovered they use two-thirds less antibiotics compared to their previous flocks of fast-growing chickens. Simply by changing the genetics of broiler chickens, producers could hugely decrease their consumption and reliance on antibiotics.

How do antibiotics given to animals impact human resistance?

Animals, like people, carry bacteria in their guts; some of these bacteria may be antibiotic resistant. When animals are slaughtered and processed for food, resistant bacteria can contaminate the meat, and other animal products. Waste products from farmed animals can also contaminate water and crops, entering human systems indirectly.

To help combat these risks, the Better Chicken Commitment (BCC). encourages companies to commit to purchasing chickens from suppliers that don't make use of antibiotic-dependent rapid growth breeds, among other welfare requirements. More than 200 companies have signed the BCC, including Burger King, Marks & Spencer, KFC, Pizza Hut and Waitrose & Partners.

What you can do to help

While the challenge of antibiotic resistance is undeniably a big one, we can each take meaningful steps to help reduce the risks.

Opting for plant-based alternatives to animal products is a great way to personally avoid consuming unnecessary antibiotics!

You can also join us as we fight against the conditions on factory farms. Together, we can create a safer future for animals and humans alike.