Why are antibiotics used in livestock production?
Antibiotics are used in livestock production to ensure safe and wholesome meat products in the food supply. Antibiotics play an important role in ensuring healthy animals. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved antibiotics for use in the food industry more than 40 years ago. Since the approval, farmers have used antibiotics safely to help animals remain healthy. Are there reasons other than illness for antibiotic use? Yes. Antibiotics are used for three different purposes in animal production: therapeutic use to treat identified illness, prophylatic use to prevent illness, and sub-therapeutic use to enhance feed efficiency and promote growth. It has been demonstrated that when antibiotic use is curtailed in livestock production, there are consequences such as increased likelihood of more devastating disease outbreaks amongst livestock with more severe consequences for the animals. Antibiotics are an important disease management tool that allows livestock and poultry producers
