Sull’uso dei medicinali veterinari in allevamento tra benessere animale e resistenza antimicrobica

In the light of the increased importance and value farm animal welfare has gained in the last decades, this contribution highlights how not only does antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represent today a threat to public and animal health, but it constitutes also an obstacle to the European legal and policy strategy on animal welfare. In this respect, the analysis of Regulation (EU) No. 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products (which include antimicrobials) will help demonstrate how an appropriate and responsible approach to AMR requires, firstly, respect for farm animals as sentient beings; secondly, a set of legal rules legitimised by both an evidence-based science and a science-based ethics; thirdly, the use of innovative soft law tools that, by fuelling a “race to the top,” may enhance efficiency and profitability of livestock farming.