Vienna, 23 November 2023 - Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats to human health, causing 1.27 million deaths globally each year. Shockingly, a substantial 70% of antibiotics globally are used for animals in intensive farming practices, accelerating the development and spread of AMR to humans. This alarming statistic underscores the urgency of prioritising efforts to reduce antibiotic use in farming. Without intervention, a staggering rise to ten million deaths yearly may occur by 2050. In light of AMR awareness week (18-24 November), global animal welfare organisation FOUR PAWS urges decision- and policymakers worldwide to improve animal welfare, reducing the number of animals farmed and transitioning to sustainable, diverse food systems to protect animals, humans and the environment.

AMR occurs when pathogens, such as bacteria and fungi, no longer respond to existing medicines, making infections difficult or impossible to treat. While AMR is a natural process, the overuse of antimicrobials accelerates this threat, and intensive farming systems are a hotspot for antimicrobial overuse. From a policy perspective, it is critical to broaden the focus: from merely restricting the use of antibiotics to sick animals only, to preventing animals from becoming sick in the first place. FOUR PAWS emphasises the importance of preventing infectious diseases on farms through higher animal welfare to reduce the reliance on antibiotic treatments.

Currently, a substantial portion of antibiotics in intensive farms is dedicated to treating preventable infectious diseases - infections that could be prevented through better husbandry, improved farm management, and overall higher animal welfare. Cruel conditions in intensive farms and the prevalence of infections are interconnected: animals in intensive farms live in conditions that lead to suppressed immunity and heightened risks of injuries, leading to a cycle of infections that necessitate antimicrobial treatments.

“In essence, our farming systems rely on the routine use of antibiotics to keep animals alive in cruel conditions and to keep the production systems economically viable. This must change,” says Beyer. “Promoting high animal welfare reduces infection incidence and the need for antibiotics, which is crucial in protecting human health from AMR. We know how to limit antimicrobial resistance; now we need world leaders to act: The WHO Pandemic Agreement, currently in negotiation, needs to acknowledge the link between our food systems and AMR as a 'silent pandemic' and lay the foundations for systemic changes in the farming sector to address the underlying causes of high antimicrobial use.”