Improving antibiotics stewardship in livestock supply chains

Animal agriculture is the largest consumer of antibiotics globally and a key contributor to AMR. The industrialisation of livestock production has driven the rise of intensive farms that house thousands of animals in confined spaces. To be profitable, companies have relied on the routine mass medication of farm animals with antibiotics, both as a means to increase feed efficiency and to reduce mortality. As more countries embrace intensive farming systems to meet growing demand for meat, dairy and fish, the misuse of antibiotics has continued to increase globally. It is projected that by 2030, antibiotic consumption in farm animals will rise by 67%.