The determination of when, how, how often and with whom an animal breeds is moving rapidly away from evolutionary pressures and towards human purposes: these include the breeding of around 50 billion mammals and birds for food production annually, the breeding of pedigree dogs and cats, racing dogs and horses, specialised laboratory animal strains and the use of reproductive science to conserve endangered species or breeds and to limit unwanted populations of pests and non-native species. But the ethics and sustainability of this takeover of animals' reproductive lives have been insufficiently examined by either professionals or the public. This book discusses the methods, the motivations and the consequences of human intervention in animal breeding in terms of animal health, behaviour and well-being. It explores where we are now and the choices ahead, and looks to a future where we have more respect for animals as sentient beings and where we could loosen the reins of reproductive control.

What constitutes animal welfare? With animals being used for companionship, service, research, food, fiber, and by-products, animal welfare is a topic of great interest and importance to society. As the world's population continues to increase, a major challenge for society is the maintenance of a strong and viable food system, which is linked to t

In livestock species, breeding goals are aimed primarily at improvement of production traits. However, there are a number of examples where selection for high production efficiency has resulted in reduced welfare through unfavorable outcomes in health and fitness characteristics. These effects raise questions about what is ethically acceptable in animal breeding. Welfare problems may be experienced when physiological balance is disturbed by genetic selection for high production alone, by a mismatch between the environmental challenges and the range of coping responses available to an animal, or from a mismatch between the animal’s needs and their degree of satisfaction. This may be resolved by either improving the environment to support the animal, but also by providing the animal, through genetic selection, with means to adapt to the production environment. The Standing Committee of the European Convention for the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes emphasizes that breeding goals should include health and welfare. The Farm Animal Welfare Council pleas for a greater emphasis in breeding programs on traits associated with good welfare. However, although breeding goals in most farm animal species have been broadened beyond production traits to include functional traits, behavioral traits are rarely included despite their potential to improve animal production and welfare. It is the goal of the present Research Topic to bring together experimental and theoretical research focusing on the genetics of welfare traits and the possibility to improve animal welfare through selection. This topic presents an overview of the relationship between selection for high production and livestock robustness, examples of improving robustness through the introduction of novel traits in livestock breeding, and a discussion on selection methods to address welfare issues. The discussion on sustainability of breeding practices is very alive today and will remain to be an important part of the debate in the future.

The Sciences of Animal Welfare analyses the diverse, interconnecting subjects which constitute this fascinating multidisciplinary field, whilst also considering the limitations and benefits of those subjects to the development and future of Animal Welfare Science. This book examines past, present and future practices and thinking, including the wide-ranging interests within society that influence attitudes towards animals and conversely how animal welfare scientists may influence those attitudes. Key themes of the book include: • Multi-disciplinary working and its benefits: how we can obtain fresh insights, enliven our thinking and improve animal welfare by operating widely within diverse disciplines • Questioning the fundamental assumptions we each make about animals and their functional capabilities. The authors acknowledge the field’s debt to past successes in animal-based science disciplines, successes that markedly improved animal welfare long before the concept of animal welfare entered common parlance. They also recognise the problems which unexpectedly arose, and anticipate future successes. Suggesting innovative approaches to Animal Welfare Science, and written by world renowned experts, The Sciences of Animal Welfare is essential reading for anyone interested, studying or currently working in Animal Welfare Science. This book is part of the UFAW/Wiley-Blackwell Animal Welfare Book Series. This major series of books produced in collaboration between UFAW (The Universities Federation for Animal Welfare), and Wiley-Blackwell provides an authoritative source of information on worldwide developments, current thinking and best practice in the field of animal welfare science and technology. For details of all of the titles in the series see www.wiley.com/go/ufaw.

The issue of animal welfare has attracted much attention in Australia in recent decades. Activists and welfare organisations have become increasingly vigorous in promoting a new ethical relationship between humans and animals, and in challenging practices they identify as inhumane. In 2011 this agitation culminated in the temporary suspension of cattle live exports, with significant economic and political implications for Australia. Similar campaigns have focused on domestic food production systems and the use of animals in entertainment. Yet despite this increased interest, the policy process remains poorly understood. Animal Welfare in Australia is the first Australian book to examine the topic in a systematic manner. Without taking a specific ethical position, Chen draws on a wide range of sources – including activists, industry representatives and policy makers – to explain how policy is made and implemented. He explores the history of animal welfare in Australia, examines public opinion and media coverage of key issues, and comprehensively maps the policy domain. He shows how diverse social, ethical and economic interests interact to produce a complex and unpredictable climate. Animal Welfare in Australia will be of interest to scholars and practitioners of public policy, those interested in issues of animal welfare, and anyone wishing to understand how competing interests interact in the contemporary Australian policy landscape.

"It is essential reading for students and practitioners in animal welfare and animal science, and will also be of interest to readers in meat, veterinary and food sciences, and applied ethology."--BOOK JACKET.

The Welfare of Animals is an exciting book that will stimulate and provoke its readers. It describes many problems faced by animals – those we use for food, for pleasure or in research, and those simply but harshly affected by shrinking habitats in the face of the ever-growing human population. And yet it is not a depressing read. It focuses not only on the difficulties that animals face, but on their capacity for free-choice, for joy and excitement, and on the possible ways in which the planet can be shared between species if only we take the time and trouble to think more carefully about the impact of our actions. Clive Phillips moved from the United Kingdom to take up a Foundation Chair in Animal Welfare at the University of Queensland, becoming Australia’s first Professor of Animal Welfare in 2003. This cultural leap, combined with his travels in countries like Malaysia and Borneo, permits him the unique and broad perspective that forms the backbone of this book. Eschewing the normal territory patrolled by the animal scientist (explaining the physiological basis of the stress response or causation of abnormal behaviour), Clive ventures into jungles and deserts, city centres and tribal homelands, and presents a book that remarkably and successfully combines travel-diary, nature notes, social and cultural history.