The article noted that, just 10 years ago, 60-70% of antibiotics were due to gut health issues in poultry.  The vast majority of that was done in a preventative rather than targeted approach.  These practices have in a short space of time become much rarer.  The use of antibiotics to treat outbreaks of disease, however, are continuing to keep the industry reliant on these treatments.

Most of those outbreaks can be traced back to either gut health or the housing environment.  The article states ‘feed and housing quality provide the key to the zero use of antibiotics by 2030’.  As much as this is a bold target, the importance of gut and environmental health cannot be understated.