Breeding for a sustainable animal production
Global demand for animal products is expected to double in the next decades due to an increasing global population and global wealth. Animal products are a great source of proteins that are essential in a healthy and balanced diet. To fulfil this growing demand, global animal production should increase while taking into account issues of environmental sustainability, food safety, and animal welfare. The breeding sector can contribute to finding solutions that are cost and resource efficient, diminish or eliminate environmental pressure, are adaptive to climate change, are beneficial for animal health and welfare, improve food quality and safety, and that meet the needs of citizens, both today and in the future.
This requires healthy, robust and efficient animals with improved animal welfare. A fast changing world requires fast, but careful, adaptation of farm animal production systems; hence of farm animal research and breeding in its broadest context. Breeding programmes aim on sustainable exploitation of genetic variation between animals. This will enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of animal food production. Breeding programmes contribute to: |
A future with a sustainable animal agriculture can be created with the contribution of animal breeding and reproduction.
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- Produce better quality, healthy, affordable, diverse food to offer consumers real options for improving their quality of life.
- Promote a more sustainable agriculture and aquaculture, in terms of producer profitability, biodiversity, environmental footprint, animal welfare, animal health, public health, food safety and food security.
- Include emphasis on non-food functions (pleasure, leisure, use in the medical area).
To realise this, the scientific strategy for sustainable animal breeding and reproduction needs to address 'animal as systems and animals in systems'.
Sustainability
Sustainable food production includes elements as the efficient use of renewable resources, the maintenance of profitability and productivity, continued availability of high quality, diverse food products, the promotion of appropriate levels of animal welfare, and the preservation of biodiversity.
Sustainable breeding and reproduction means balancing:
A future with a sustainable animal agriculture can be created with the contribution of animal breeding and reproduction. Many opportunities are open for improvement in biological and economical efficiency of food production and increasing food supply. These opportunities are particularly attractive in a sustainability perspective.
There are three pillars of sustainability: Consumer, Environment, and Economy. The animal breeding and reproduction sector is directly linked to these pillars through interactions with societal developments, implications for biodiversity and the environment, and contribution to economic growth.
Sustainable food production includes elements as the efficient use of renewable resources, the maintenance of profitability and productivity, continued availability of high quality, diverse food products, the promotion of appropriate levels of animal welfare, and the preservation of biodiversity.
Sustainable breeding and reproduction means balancing:
- Safe and healthy food
- Robust, adapted, healthy animals
- Biodiversity
- Social responsibility
- A competitive and distinctive Europe
A future with a sustainable animal agriculture can be created with the contribution of animal breeding and reproduction. Many opportunities are open for improvement in biological and economical efficiency of food production and increasing food supply. These opportunities are particularly attractive in a sustainability perspective.
There are three pillars of sustainability: Consumer, Environment, and Economy. The animal breeding and reproduction sector is directly linked to these pillars through interactions with societal developments, implications for biodiversity and the environment, and contribution to economic growth.
Animal health & welfare
Health and welfare are two close related subjects. Breeding organisations must ensure the health and welfare of their animals. Read more. |
Biodiversity
Biodiversity consists out of genetic diversity and Animal Genetic Resources (AnGR). Read more. |
Economic value
The European breeding sector brings the agricultural sector an estimated added value of about €2 billion per year. Read more. |
Environment
Improved biological efficiency and specifically reduces production of waste per unit output is an important goal for breeders. Read more. |
Food quality & safety
Improvement of food quality is an important aspect of animal breeding and has become more important over time. Read more. |
Social
It is important for farm animal breeders to cooperate with researchers, policy-makers, other professionals from the industry, and society to discuss these topics. Read more. |