Genomic selection in livestock breeding is reshaping what traits are prioritized — with growing evidence that welfare-relevant traits like disease resistance and temperament can be selected alongside productivity.
Genomics offers a powerful lever for improving animal welfare at scale. When breeding programs define fitness broadly — incorporating health, longevity, behavioral ease, and pain-free physiologies — the effects compound across millions of animals each generation. Conversely, when selection focuses narrowly on output traits, genetic welfare costs accumulate silently and may take decades to reverse. The challenge is that welfare traits are often harder to measure than production traits, requiring investment in phenotyping infrastructure and standardized recording.