Selective breeding for production traits has created genetic conditions causing chronic pain and shortened lives in many farmed animals, raising fundamental welfare questions about breeding goals.
When breeding goals prioritize production traits over welfare, the resulting genetics can lock animals into permanent suffering. Broiler chickens in modern systems are biologically incapable of healthy growth — their cardiovascular and skeletal systems cannot keep pace with their muscle development. Dairy cows in peak production approach their physiological limits, experiencing metabolic disease. Addressing this requires redirecting selection pressure toward welfare-compatible productivity, including lameness resistance, disease resilience, and reproductive health.