Biofilms are architecturally complex, single- or multilayered, homogeneous or heterogeneous, extracellular polysaccharide (EPS)-embedded, intricate associations of bacteria, implicated in a multitude of multi-drug-resistant infections of the cardiovascular, central nervous, digestive, reproductive, respiratory and urinary systems of livestock. Such veterinary diseases are resistant to conventional broad-spectrum biocides, as the responsible biofilms are potential hotspots for horizontal transfer of antibiotic resistance genes and biofilm-sustaining transposable DNA elements, as also centres of quorum sensing. Other mechanisms include the close proximity of multiple organisms to one another, low antibiotic penetration and presence of dormant ‘persister’ cells within biofilm microenvironments. The bacterial pathogens frequently involved in such infections in husbandry animals include Staphylococcus aureus, S. epidermidis, Streptococcus spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, enterohaemorrhagic E. coli O157:H7, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Salmonella enteritidis, Mycobacterium bovis strain BCG and Brucella melitensis. Some biofilm-associated, notorious, untreatable chronic bacterial infections are bovine mastitis, enteritis, wound infections, pneumonia, otitis media and urinary tract infections. Several studies on S. aureus mention the presence of virulence genes, like icaA, icaC, icaD, icaR, clfB/clfA, fnbpA/fnbpB, agrI-IV, fib, sigB, sarA, sarZ, sasC and sasG. Recent findings indicate that in S. epidermidis, icaA, icaC, atlE, aap, mecA and sarZ genes and in P. aeruginosa, cdrA gene are involved in pathogeneses. The virulence plasmid pO157 genes in E. coli O157: H7, mkrA gene in K. pneumoniae, and csgD, csgA, bcsA and adrA genes in S. enteritidis are the most commonly detected virulence genes. Incurable biofilm-associated infections can cause huge economic loss in livestock industries in terms of large-scale production. Hence, a greater understanding of the link between biofilm contamination and livestock infection, structure of biofilms, and genetic and molecular mechanisms of biofilm formation will give new insights into the best novel approaches for tackling biofilm-related livestock diseases, such as degradation of the EPS matrix and use of novel antibiotics targeting biofilm-associated genes/proteins.