Livestock

"It may indeed be doubted, whether butcher's meat is any where a necessary of life." ― Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

Anti-microbial resistance poses a threat not only to public health, but also to the meat industry.  In recent years, the process of raising livestock has received some attention from the public.  In some cases this has inspired people to adopt a vegetarian—or vegan—diet, due to concerns over animal cruelty.  In order to meet the enormous demand for meat, farmers need to raise animals in a short amount of time and in as small a space as possible.  As a result, animals are raised in squalor and severely restricted in mobility, making them susceptible to disease.

Antibiotics are necessary to this process, but they are also often misused.  Antibiotics are administered in low doses to many animals to stimulate growth.  This means more meat, which means greater profits for processors.  However, this also creates an environment in which anti-microbial resistance can develop.  80% of antibiotics sold in the United States are sold for use in raising livestock.  This is unsurprising when you look at the numbers of animals kept in the United States: 100 million hogs, 250 million turkeys, 8.6 billion chickens, etc.  This contributes to drug-resistant infections in people, but it is likely to negatively impact the meat industry as well.


Policies could be put in place that curb the consumption of antibiotics.  Animals could also be raised with more space, proper food and exercise.  However, this would undoubtedly cause the prices of meat to rise as well.  Before the advent of industrial farming, meat was expensive.  For example, chickens were raised primarily for laying eggs.  There were no chicken farms.  As a result, poultry was expensive, and was only consumed occasionally.  The meat industry also makes extensive use of marketing—essentially manufacturing demand.  It's unlikely that consumers will change their habits; therefore, farmers are also unlikely to utilize different processes.