Stress events before slaughter did not significantly change antimicrobial resistant E. coli shedding in pigs and poultry in a six-farm UK pilot study. Shedding stayed statistically flat across thinning, depopulation and transport compared with baseline. The more important finding is that shedding was already high at every time point, so the contamination risk window is constant rather than event triggered, which matters for antibiotic reduction programs. Why shedding at the slaughter threshold matters Antimicrobial resistance is a continuing threat to both public and animal health. In the United Kingdom, livestock antibiotic use has fallen substantially over the past decade, yet resistant bacteria still enter farms through feed, water, people and…