Unintended consequences of selection for increased production on the health and welfare of livestock

Abstract

Abstract. Modern farming technologies, including quantitative selection and breeding methods in farm animal species, resulted in increased production and efficiency. Selection for increased output in both intensive and extensive production systems has trade-offs and negative outcomes, often more pronounced in intensive systems. Animal welfare and health are often adversely affected and this influences sustainable production. The relative importance of animal welfare differs among developed and developing countries due to the level of economic development, food security and education, as well as religious and cultural practices which presents challenges for sound scientific research. Due to breeding goals in the past set on growth performance, traits such as fertility, welfare and health have been neglected. Fertility is the single most important trait in all livestock species. Reduced fertility and lameness, claw health and mastitis results in unnecessary culling and reduced longevity. Selection pressure for growth accompanied with inbreeding has resulted in a number of genetic defects in beef, sheep and pigs. This review demonstrated the importance of inclusion of animal welfare concepts into breeding objectives and selection strategies. Accurate phenotyping of welfare traits is a limiting factor in the implementation of mitigating strategies, which include diagnostic testing, control of inbreeding and genomic selection.

Buffalo milk and rumen fluid metabolome are significantly affected by green feed

“…Several concerns have been recently expressed regarding the environmental and economical sustainability of livestock 2 . This is mainly due to the intensification of livestock systems, that caused the concentration of animals in restricted areas, leading to both poor utilization of pasture and lower animal welfare 3 , 4 . The application of cut and carry (or zero grazing ) technique represents an interesting and innovative method to increase both economic and environmental sustainability of the farm 8 .…”

“…In the last years an increased consumer’s sensibility has been noted about the methods of production of animal derived foods 1 . Particularly, several concerns have arisen towards livestock intensive breeding conditions, which are considered one of the causes of environmental pollution as well as disrespectful of animal welfare, although a direct relationship among the intensification of livestock and these topics has not been provided 2 , 3 . Whatever may or may not be the truth of these speculations, the challenge of future techniques is to focus on the sustainability of livestock systems, together with high quality derived products and animal welfare 4 .…”

Climate change, public health, and animal welfare: towards a One Health approach to reducing animal agriculture’s climate footprint

“…Moreover, the genetic conditions brought about through breeding for efficiency can also result in significant harms to animal welfare. In many cases, animals that have been selected for their high productivity may be at higher risk for immunological, behavioral, and psychological problems (van der Most et al, 2011;Hartcher and Lum, 2020), and the intensive selection for certain productivity traits (thereby reducing genetic diversity) can result in unfavorable consequences to animal health and longevity (Brito et al, 2021;van Marle-Köster and Visser, 2021). Illustrative examples are included in Table 1.…”

Implementing IPCC 2019 Guidelines into a National Inventory: Impacts of Key Changes in Austrian Cattle and Pig Farming

“…At the animal level, efforts to improve productivity and efficiency are probably reaching their limits in modern livestock systems: Increased productivity led, inter alia, to a more frequent occurrence of metabolic disorders, e.g., subacute ruminal acidosis [77][78][79] and oxidative stress [80]; welfare issues, e.g., lameness [81][82][83]; and genetic disorders, e.g., complex vertebral malformation in dairy cattle [84] and stress syndrome (PSS) in pigs [85]. Another limitation to productivity is heat stress, which is mainly driven by metabolic heat load due to high milk and meat yields [86,87].…”