Opinion: Curbing antibiotics in farming vital for health and planet

As we emerge from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more important than ever to recognize the connection between the environment, human health, and food security. Due to antibiotic overuse, many of the world’s deadliest diseases are growing immune to antibiotics and other antimicrobial treatments, known as antimicrobial resistance, or AMR. AMR is internationally recognized as a global public health threat, contributing to 1.27 million deaths each year. Beyond the very real human cost, AMR has the potential to deliver a $100 trillion reduction in global economic output, according to a 2016 review of the issue by The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, and a 3.8% reduction in annual GDP by 2050 according to the World Bank. This is particularly important for low- and middle-income countries whose health and food sectors could be seriously impacted, as more than 25% of GDP in LMICs is derived from agriculture. Poor farming practices A key but often overlooked battleground in the fight against AMR is animal agriculture, which is responsible for 70% of all antibiotic use globally. In tightly packed factory farms, antibiotics are used to prevent the spread of disease and, in countries where regulation permits, for growth promotion. While administering antibiotics does achieve the result of reducing the prevalence of disease in farms, it does not kill pathogens entirely, allowing them to evolve and adapt. The misuse of antibiotics is prevalent in intensive animal farming — and it jeopardizes both human and environmental health. Antibiotic residues run off intensive farms through animal waste and pollute local environments, including water and the air, impacting local communities and local biodiversity. A global study of the presence of antibiotics found that hundreds of sites in rivers around the world, from the Thames to the Tigris, contain dangerously high levels of antibiotics. Excess levels of antibiotics were most common in Africa and Asia, the study found, and the highest concentration level — 300 times above the recommended limit — was found in Bangladesh. Between 2008 and 2018, the proportion of antimicrobials showing resistance above 50% has more than doubled in pigs and poultry. This issue is particularly prevalent in LMICs with limited antibiotic regulations and regulatory enforcement mechanisms. AMR is predicted to cause an 11% loss to livestock in LMICs by 2050, and countries including India and China are already experiencing the rise of AMR hotspots near farming areas. Growing threat to health and environment The latest Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index, published in December 2022, analyzed the ESG, or environmental, social, and governance, performance of 60 of the largest meat, fish, and dairy companies and found that 70% of companies assessed pose a risk to the environment through antibiotic waste, altering bacterial communities that underpin ecosystems. FAIRR found 63% of protein producers assessed are failing to take adequate steps to prevent future zoonotic pandemics. This is critical because 3 out of 4 new diseases are zoonotic like COVID-19, and United Nations research shows 4 of the 7 human factors most likely to drive the emergence of a new zoonotic pandemic are directly linked to agricultural intensification and increased meat consumption. Policymakers are waking up to the threat posed by irresponsible antibiotic use in animal agriculture and regulation focused on curbing misuse has started to take form. The European Union took the important step of banning nontherapeutic mass use of antibiotics last year (though notably, the United Kingdom has not followed suit). In 2019, China published its antibiotic use figures for the first time as well as making an attempt to encourage a reduction in antibiotic use in the country, and livestock giant Brazil has banned a number of critically important antibiotics often used as growth promoters. Building pressure In the absence of more strident lawmaking, shareholders in food companies have begun to pressure companies to improve their policies on these issues, something that the FAIRR initiative has been actively monitoring and encouraging. In 2016 FAIRR led an investor engagement calling on 20 global fast food and casual dining companies to strengthen their policies on antibiotics. In the end, 19 implemented such policies. Our research has suggested that companies are responsive to investor pressure on this issue. We found that an increasing number of companies now have an antibiotic policy that, at minimum, does not allow the use of antibiotics for growth promotion — 68% in 2022 up from 50% in 2019. That said, this pressure needs to be maintained consistently. Companies routinely backslide on their public targets on antibiotics, and seven index companies have reduced the strength of their targets since 2019. Pandemic risk It is becoming increasingly clear that business-as-usual animal agriculture risks incubating the next zoonotic pandemic. COVID-19 demonstrated the devastating impact of zoonotic disease, causing irreversible damage to global health and the economy. LMICs are particularly vulnerable to these global shocks, and it is crucial for civil society to call on governments and businesses to help build resilience and change the trajectory of AMR. Given the threat that AMR represents, investors and policymakers cannot afford to be complacent and must take affirmative steps to bring these practices into safer territory. Although we have seen some improvements, companies are not going far enough to limit antibiotic use in animals and stem the pollution of natural environments with antibiotic runoffs and residues. Regulatory change is happening, albeit slowly. But investors can and should play a continued role in pressuring companies to implement robust management plans to reduce their dependence on antibiotics and impact on the environment. As the tragic events of 2020 taught us, it only takes one strain of disease to bring everything to a halt. We cannot forget the true scale of the stakes here — or else the meat on our plates could be delivering the next global pandemic, with devastating consequences for all. Visit the Planet Health series for more in-depth reporting on the current impact of the climate crisis on human health around the world. Join the conversation by using the hashtag #PlanetHealth.