AHI Report Finds that Healthy Animals Can Stabilize the Food Supply, Reduce Food Inflation, and Use Fewer Resources
(Washington, DC – December 17, 2025) An analysis by Oxford Analytica has found that keeping animals healthy can provide tangible benefits to the economy, nutrition, and the environment. US Animal Health: Advancing and Securing Sustainability presents data that demonstrates how healthy animals mean more income for farmers and more affordable nutrition for consumers.
“The data is clear. When animals are healthy, they’re more productive. More productive animals mean more nutrition, lower emissions, and stronger economic benefits,” said Martha Scott Poindexter, President and CEO of the Animal Health Institute (AHI), which sponsored the study. “Healthy animals consume fewer resources, which affects food affordability.”
Government data shows consumers spent an average of 10.4 percent of their income on food in 2024. Expenditures vary by income level, and polls suggest that consumers are concerned about the affordability of food. Losses from animal disease disrupt the availability and prices of common products such as milk, meat, and eggs. As a result, animal disease impacts food affordability and the broader economy.
Three case studies in the report highlight the benefits of keeping animals healthy, including:
- Preventative Medicines in Poultry: The U.S. poultry industry would lose an estimated 1.7 billion broiler chickens to coccidiosis without health interventions or treatment. Modeling found that an additional 1.7 billion broiler chickens could deliver up to 8.5 billion more pounds of poultry to U.S. consumers, or an estimated 39 billion chicken meals.
- Vaccinations in Swine: By using vaccinations to prevent disease and mortality associated with porcine circovirus disease (PCVAD), swine producers will reduce production losses by an estimated $2.7 billion by 2030.
- More Sustainable Cattle: Animal health products, disease management, and husbandry practices can reduce methane emissions in dairy cattle by up to 30% per unit milk yielded.
“Our industry makes the animal health tools that improve food production and affordability. We remain committed to producing innovative medicines, vaccines, and biosecurity measures to help prevent diseases, stabilize food supply, and reduce food inflation, which in turn supports both local economies and international trade,” said Poindexter.
For more information, see Animal Health Institute 2025 OA Report.
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