Scientists, veterinarians, policymakers and advocates gathered in Nicosia on 30 April 2026 for a landmark One Health event on antimicrobial resistance (AMR), where experts warned that the overuse of antibiotics in farming across Europe is contributing to an alarming rise in resistance, and that progress is now stalling. While EU farm antibiotic sales fell by 51% between 2011 and 2022, they have since increased in 2023 and 2024. Cyprus, Spain and Poland remain among the highest users on the continent, with Cyprus — where 85% of all antibiotics go to farm animals, compared to an EU average of 62%¹. The event, co-organised by Animal Advocacy & Food Transition (AAFT), Cyprus University of Technology, and the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe, and held under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture of Cyprus brought together voices from across science, medicine, veterinary practice, farming and politics, all of whom reached the same conclusion: a fundamental change in approach is urgently needed.
Keynote speaker Coílín Nunan, Policy and Science Manager at the Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics and one of Europe’s leading experts on farm antibiotic use, set out the global stakes. According to the Lancet report, AMR was directly responsible for 1.14 million deaths globally in 2021, with a further 4.71 million deaths associated with resistance. By 2050, those figures are projected to rise to 1.91 million deaths directly attributable to AMR and 8.22 million associated deaths. The consequences are already measurable: in Cyprus, 69% of E. coli in pigs are multiresistant — the highest rate in the EU². In Norway, where animal welfare standards are significantly higher, that figure is just 3%.
The overuse of antibiotics in farming is contributing to the alarming rise of antibiotic resistance and large cuts are urgently needed, said Nunan, adding that the best way to achieve this is to raise animals in healthier and less stressful conditions, to minimise disease and the need for antibiotics.
A central theme of the event was the direct link between farming conditions and antibiotic dependency. Speakers were clear that in intensive farming systems across Europe, antibiotics are frequently used not to treat disease, but to compensate for the conditions that breed it: high stocking densities, early weaning, chronic stress and restricted natural behaviour. Research shows that higher-welfare farming systems lead directly to lower antibiotic use and lower resistance rates³. In Sweden and Norway, just 12 to 17% of farm antibiotics are used for group treatments, compared to 85% across Europe as a whole.
“The solution is not just fewer antibiotics. The solution is better systems. If we want to truly address AMR, we must change our approach: from treatment to prevention. And prevention starts with better conditions for animals.”
Olga Kikou, Director, Animal Advocacy & Food Transition
The event drew senior political engagement from the Cypriot government. Maria Panayiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment of the Republic of Cyprus, acknowledged both the scale of the challenge and her government’s commitment to action, calling for a transition away from intensive farming models and emphasising prevention as a primary priority.
Marios Adamides, Senior Agricultural Officer and Head of the Minister’s Cabinet, reinforced the message of collective responsibility.
“AMR is a reality which already affects our lives. The numbers are clear and they leave no place for complacency. Change depends on collective and strategic collaboration, and on research. Addressing AMR is one of the greatest challenges of our time.”
Maria Panayiotou, Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Republic of Cyprus
“Antimicrobial resistance is a common enemy. It does not distinguish between sectors or borders. Confronting it demands that we act together and Cyprus must be part of that effort.”
Marios Adamides, Senior Agricultural Officer and Head of the Minister’s Cabinet, Cyprus Ministry of Agriculture
“As humans, healthy animals don’t need medicine.”
Nancy De Briyne, Federation of Veterinarians of Europe
“Cyprus can reduce its antibiotic use. If they do, it means reviewing husbandry practices and also addressing meat consumption.”
Coílín Nunan, Alliance to Save Our Antibiotics
Across the event, agreement was unanimous: the knowledge and tools to act already exist, and the political will to use them is the missing piece. The upcoming EU Livestock Strategy offers a critical opportunity to embed animal welfare and AMR prevention into the structural design of European farming. Cyprus currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU. We urge Cyprus to use their position to place AMR and farm animal welfare firmly on the European agenda, and act decisively at home.
