Genetic selection in livestock has created welfare problems through single-trait selection, and welfare-focused breeding programs offer solutions.
Decades of single-trait selection for production parameters have created livestock breeds with inherent welfare vulnerabilities. The Holstein dairy cow, optimized for maximum milk yield, has metabolic demands that compromise immune function and increase susceptibility to conditions including mastitis and lameness. Fast-growing broiler breeds grow so rapidly that their skeletal systems cannot support their body weight. These welfare problems are genetically determined and cannot be fully resolved through husbandry alone. Incorporating welfare traits — including longevity, disease resistance, calving ease, and leg health — into genetic selection indexes enables improvement of welfare alongside production, benefiting both animals and producers.