Genomic tools increasingly allow selection for cattle with inherently better welfare through improved disease resistance, longevity, temperament, and structural soundness.
Genomics allows the welfare consequences of breeding decisions to be anticipated before they are expressed in live animals. Selection against lameness susceptibility, for mastitis resistance, and for improved longevity creates cattle that are inherently less prone to welfare-compromising disease. Temperament selection reduces stress for both cattle and handlers. Genomic welfare improvement operates over multiple generations but represents the most enduring path to population-level welfare improvement.