The use of antibiotics for production purposes in livestock agriculture is a contested topic, and recent Federal guidelines have been adopted to reduce the practice. Research indicates that antibiotic use for growth promotion and disease prevention in livestock is not universal and that such uses generally have limited effects on the productivity of raising livestock at the farm level. Given that only a portion of producers use antibiotics for production purposes and that their use appears to have a limited impact, on average, restrictions are predicted to have little effect on prices and quantities produced over time. {Source: USDA ERS]
The results of a USDA Economic Research Service simulation were published in the November 2015 issue of Amber Waves. The results show reductions in output of less than half of 1 percent for pork and chicken. Wholesale prices increase by 0.77 percent for pork and 0.73 percent for chicken. Prices rise more than output declines, yielding greater total revenue for pork and broiler producers (0.29 percent for pork and 0.42 percent
Source: AASV