Brief Context
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 huma
Source Content
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%
- Key geographic regions are:
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.