Genetic selection in livestock has created animals with extreme productive traits that compromise health and welfare, with reform possible through genetics programs.
Livestock genetics represents an upstream welfare lever with profound downstream consequences. The traits selected by commercial breeding programs determine the health predispositions, behavioral repertoires, and productive capacity of billions of animals. Selection almost exclusively for productive output traits has created animals that produce more than their bodies can sustainably support. Including health longevity, disease resistance, and welfare-relevant behavioral traits in breeding indices can shift genetic trajectories toward more balanced animals. Consumer and regulatory pressure has begun to influence breeding company priorities.