Livestock antimicrobial use embodied in global supply chains

The excessive use of antimicrobials has led to increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance that can spread between livestock, humans and the environment, with important One Health implications. Antimicrobial use in the livestock sector represents 73% of global antimicrobial consumption, yet how such antimicrobial use is embedded within international trade and global production networks remains unclear. Here we quantify global antimicrobial footprints and trace them through global supply chains from 2010 to 2020. Global livestock antimicrobial footprints peaked at 118.6 kilotons (kt) in 2013, then fell to 84.0 kt by 2020. China and the USA contributed nearly 60% of the global antimicrobial footprint. Most use remained in domestically produced goods, yet the trade-embodied share rose from 16% to 20%, signalling growing cross-border spillovers. Developed economies showed higher per capita use via trade, whereas developing economies’ use was concentrated in local production. Brazil surpassed China as the largest exporter of antimicrobials used in livestock production by 2020. Intriguingly, non-food products, particularly the clothing, services and manufacturing sectors, account for half of the trade-embodied antimicrobial footprint. Thus, global spillover of the effects of antimicrobial use extends well beyond the food system thus requiring policymakers to broaden their focus to better address antimicrobial resistance threats.