This article examines how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) policies designed for livestock farming in Europe—and particularly France—have been limited by narrowly defined reduction targets. Although these policies have significantly decreased antibiotic use, they have also upheld a productivist agricultural model that continues to threaten human and animal health and the environment. By aligning AMR mitigation efforts with a biosecurity paradigm that is highly compatible with industrial livestock systems, the reduction in antibiotic use has not yielded all the anticipated benefits. Based on this assessment, we propose three avenues for fostering a just transition relevant to all sectors involved in AMR governance: transcending the dominant “One Global Health” paradigm; shifting power from institutional stakeholders to the public affected by AMR; and reimagining post-antibiotic futures that extend beyond prevailing dystopian narratives.
