Animal Breeding and Genetics: Introduction

The definition of sustainability explicitly considers economic, environmental, and social aspects of decisions and practices. From an animal husbandry perspective, this implies consideration of economic costs/returns in the relatively short term to maintain or achieve profitability, the natural resources used such that long-term profitability is not sacrificed due to erosion in resources required for production, and consumer demand for animal products and social license to produce them. Implicitly these three factors have been at the core of animal production for many years given that enterprises must be profitable, ensure stewardship over natural resources such that they can remain profitable for future generations, and produce products that consumers demand and trust. More recently, more formal consideration of these pillars of sustainability has received attention given concerns relative to animal husbandry practices and changing climatic conditions.

The field of animal breeding...