The Economic and Environmental Impact of Antibiotic Use in Livestock Farming

The availability and distribution of antibiotics to livestock farming increases the economic value and production, but also causes the problem of AMR. Based on the knowledge of antibiotic use in animal agriculture, the economic impact, together with the environmental impact of AMR, restrictive measures, and chemical contamination, is discussed in this article. Hence, the long-term effects of antibiotics overpower the short-term economic benefits that are accrued from their usage. The study identifies options for aversion to antibiotics, such as probiotics, phytogenics, biosecurity, and precision livestock farming, are the probable strategies. Trends in regulation, as well as changes in consumer preferences for meat, add to the pressure for the industry to switch to non-antibiotic production systems. The results show that while the implementation of divergent and sustainable practices may be financially demanding initially, adaptive access to the market and possible hesitation on the decrease of risks about the compound use of antibiotics outweigh the disadvantages. This work suggests the development of special preventive measures and further research on this phenomenon to create effective policies through the collaboration of the governments to transform the livestock farming industry with less impact on the health of the public, the environment included.