Genetic selection in livestock has prioritized productivity traits, in some cases at the expense of health and welfare. Growing awareness is driving selection programs that incorporate welfare-relevant traits alongside production traits.
Genetic selection that creates animals that produce more but suffer more represents a fundamental welfare challenge — the productivity gains come at the cost of the animals themselves. Selection for extreme milk production has created cows that are metabolically fragile, with high rates of transition disease, lameness, and infertility. Rebalancing selection to include health and welfare traits alongside production traits is scientifically feasible and commercially viable if market signals reward longevity and health. Consumer preference for welfare-assured products is one mechanism for changing the selection pressures that determine what breeders select for.