Reframing livestock antimicrobial use as a global public good

Global antimicrobial use in livestock is projected to rise over coming decades, accelerating antimicrobial resistance and eroding antimicrobial effectiveness. Although stewardship efforts have expanded, they remain largely national and voluntary, even as resistance dynamics propagate across borders. This paper reframes antimicrobial effectiveness in livestock systems as a global public good, defined by non-rivalry, non-excludability, and transboundary spillovers. Under this framing, persistent overuse reflects governance and market failures that misalign local production incentives with global welfare losses. Drawing on global public good theory within a One Health perspective, the paper develops an integrated stewardship framework that clarifies why aggregating national actions underdelivers. The framework links four mutually reinforcing pillars: international governance and accountability, incentive-compatible economic instruments, sustainable and equitable financing, and farm-level adoption enablers. Together, these pillars translate shared global objectives into national stewardship while preserving access for animal health needs, thereby supporting livestock productivity, food security, and public health.