Antibiotics use in livestock could rise by a third in next 15 years, UN report warns

Pigs on a farm. The use of antibiotics for growth promotion has been banned in the EU and the UK since 2006. Photograph: Matt Kelley/AP

The use of antibiotics on livestock will rise by nearly a third in the next 15 years without government intervention, according to new global estimates, with potentially disastrous impacts on human resistance to essential medicines.

Animal husbandry accounts for close to three-quarters of global use of antimicrobial medications and in many countries their use is poorly monitored. Some herds are routinely dosed and in many countries antimicrobials are used to increase the growth of animals bred for meat.