Future of Antibiotic Use in Livestock: FAO

Syllabus: GS3/Agriculture; Livestock

Context

• A recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projects that global antibiotic use in livestock could increase by 30% by 2040, highlighting the urgent need for interventions to curb this trend.

Use of Antibiotics in Livestocks

• Antibiotics are used for treating infections, and as growth promoters and preventive agents.
• The overuse and misuse of antibiotics in animal agriculture have accelerated the development of drug-resistant bacteria, posing risks to both animal and human health.
  • AMR could make common infections harder to treat, increasing healthcare costs and mortality rates.
• WHO called it a ‘silent pandemic’, as it poses a serious risk of exacerbating antimicrobial resistance, whereby bacteria evolve to resist antibiotic treatment.
  • Drug-resistant infections already cause over 1.2 million deaths globally each year.
• Antibiotic use in livestock is expected to rise from 110,777 tons in 2019 to 143,481 tons by 2040, representing a 29.5% increase.
  • Key geographic regions are:
    • Asia and the Pacific Region: 64.6%
    • South America: 19%
    • Africa: 5.7%
    • North America: 5.5% and
    • Europe: 5.2%

Role of Antibiotics in Livestock

• Therapeutic Use: Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections in animals, ensuring their health and productivity.
• Preventive Use: Prophylactic administration of antibiotics helps prevent diseases in healthy animals, particularly in intensive farming systems.
• Growth Promotion: In some regions, antibiotics are used to enhance growth rates and feed efficiency, although this practice is increasingly discouraged globally.

Key Drivers Behind the Surge

• Intensive Farming Systems: Large-scale industrial farms often rely on antibiotics to maintain animal health in crowded, high-stress environments.
• Regulatory Gaps: Many countries lack strict guidelines on antibiotic usage in animals, or fail to enforce them effectively.
• Overuse of Antibiotics as Growth Promoters: Antibiotics can help animals grow faster and survive poor conditions, making them economically attractive in intensive systems.
• Global Trade and Movement: International trade in livestock, meat products, and feed can spread resistant strains across borders.
  • Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes can spread through mobile genetic elements like plasmids.

Policies and Commitments

• UN General Assembly AMR Declaration (2024): Governments worldwide have pledged to reduce antimicrobial use in agrifood systems by 30–50% by 2030.
  • UNGA recognizes AMR as a major challenge to human health, food security, economic development, and global stability.
• RENOFARM Initiative: It was launched by FAO, providing policy guidance and technical assistance to help countries curb antibiotic use.
• One Health Approach: It integrates human, animal, and environmental health — to address the issue of AMR, as emphasised by FAO, WHO and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH).
• Optimizing Livestock Productivity: Improving animal health, management practices, and production efficiency could cut antibiotic use by up to 57%.
  • Investing in vaccination programs, biosecurity measures, and improved animal nutrition can reduce the need for antibiotics.
• India’s National Action Plan on AMR: It aims to reduce antibiotic dependency in agriculture.
• Standard Veterinary Treatment Guidelines (SVTG): It was introduced by the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry to regulate the use of antibiotics in livestock and poultry while incorporating Ayurvedic and ethnoveterinary practices.

Source: DTE