The Making of Sustainability in Farm Animal Breeding and Reproduction

The paper examines sustainability within the context of farm animal breeding and reproduction. Sustainability can benefit breeders in two ways: (i) it invites breeders to take a comprehensive look at potentially conflicting breeding-related concerns, and to face any difficult trade-offs; and (ii) presenting the concerns within a framework (i.e. of sustainability) that is endorsed by society as a whole enables the breeder to make room for communication to, and dialogue with, a broader audience than the rather narrow group of people directly involved in farm animal breeding. The paper presents key concepts and factors involved in sustainability and discusses the results of an attempt within a thematic network, SEFABAR, to adapt and apply sustainability to farm animal breeding and reproduction. Defining and adapting sustainability to breeding conditions and farm animal circumstances is more than a technical/scientific task. It is necessary to address underlying value questions, to clarify priorities and to involve stakeholders in dialogue. Fundamental, ethical breeding dilemmas which emerge when the notion of sustainability is considered have no easy solutions but can be addressed through a series of steps that are developed and discussed in the paper, and in particular by taking into account four key characteristics of sustainability.