Selective breeding for production traits has created farm animal breeds with inherent welfare costs, and welfare-focused breeding is beginning to address these problems.
Selective breeding has created productive but welfare-compromised breeds across major farmed species. The broiler chicken case is most stark: birds bred for maximum muscle growth cannot sustain basic physiological functions. High-yielding dairy cows are in permanent metabolic stress during lactation. These are not husbandry failures but breed design failures. Welfare-aware genetics that prioritise health and longevity alongside production is achievable and is being demonstrated by slower-growing broiler programmes.