UN & FAO Issue Critical Report Warning of 30% Rise in Livestock Antibiotics

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) issued a definitive warning detailing a looming crisis in antimicrobial stewardship.

• The Trajectory: According to new global data modeling, without aggressive, multi-nation policy interventions, global antimicrobial use in livestock is projected to surge by 30% by 2040, reaching over 143,000 tonnes annually. This would easily shatter the previous global peak recorded in 2013.

• The Drivers: The jump is fueled by an accelerating global demand for animal protein, paired with a dangerous relapse into the use of medically important antibiotics for sub-therapeutic growth promotion in low- and middle-income regions.

• The Financial Fallout: The FAO calculates that the cumulative economic loss stemming solely from livestock productivity crashes due to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) could reach $318 billion by 2040. Conversely, the maximum total cost to globally phase out growth-promoting antibiotics is capped at $53 billion, making immediate regulatory tightening highly cost-effective.