Biotechnologies and their potential impact on animal breeding and production: a review

2005 ◽  
Vol 45 (8) ◽  
pp. 1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. Raadsma ◽  
I. Tammen
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Modification ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Animal Breeding ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Value Propositions ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Animal Production Systems

Recent developments in mammalian biotechnologies that have been driven largely by medical bioscience, offer new opportunities for livestock industries. Major impacts may be expected in the area of reproductive, genomic and cell technologies that could lead to improved animal breeding strategies or animal production and health applications. In particular, the use of advanced reproductive technologies to select animals at very early stages of life, possibly as early as a 4-day embryo, combined with genomic technologies to predict genetic merit, could lead to significantly increased rates of genetic gain. Such advanced animal breeding technologies will depend strongly on conventional quantitative genetic evaluation systems. Genetic modification in the near future will offer targeted animal improvement options for control of health and production. Long-term impact of genetic modification on animal production systems will depend on consumer acceptance, and its perception by social, environmental and animal welfare groups. However, the opportunity to develop animal products beyond conventional boundaries may prove too attractive with genetic modification eventually being accepted as the norm. The naturally synergistic effect of ex vivo transgenic modification of embryo stem cell or somatic cell lines, combined with nuclear transfer present potentially high value propositions for development of novel and high value products. Opportunities for the mass production of elite males for use in extensive animal production systems will be possible.

scholarly journals Brazilian Citizens’ Opinions and Attitudes about Farm Animal Production Systems

Animals ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Yunes ◽  
Marina von Keyserlingk ◽  
Maria Hötzel
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Farm Animal ◽  
Animal Production Systems

scholarly journals Animal-based agriculture, phosphorus management and water quality in Brazil: options for the future

2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francirose Shigaki ◽  
Andrew Sharpley ◽  
Luís Ignácio Prochnow
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Poultry Manure ◽  
Agricultural Runoff ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Feed Additives ◽  
Poultry Production ◽  
The South ◽  
Transport Management ◽  
Animal Production Systems

Eutrophication has become a major threat to water quality in the U.S., Europe, and Australasia. In most cases, freshwater eutrophication is accelerated by increased inputs of phosphorus (P), of which agricultural runoff is now a major contributor, due to intensification of crop and animal production systems since the early 1990s'. Once little information is available on the impacts of Brazilian agriculture in water quality, recent changes in crop and animal production systems in Brazil were evaluated in the context of probable implications of the fate of P in agriculture. Between 1993 and 2003, there was 33% increase in the number of housed animals (i.e., beef, dairy cows, swine, and poultry), most in the South Region (i.e., Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and Santa Catarina States), where 43 and 49% of Brazil's swine and poultry production is located, respectively. Although grazing-based beef production is the major animal production system in Brazil, it is an extensive system, where manure is deposited over grazed pastures; confined swine and poultry are intensive systems, producing large amounts of manure in small areas, which can be considered a manageable resource. This discussion will focus on swine and poultry farming. Based on average swine (100 kg) and poultry weights (1.3 kg), daily manure production (4.90 and 0.055 kg per swine and poultry animal unit, respectively), and manure P content (40 and 24 g kg-1 for swine and poultry, respectively), an estimated 2.5 million tones of P in swine and poultry manure were produced in 2003. Mostly in the South and Southeast regions of Brazil (62%), which represent only 18% of the country's land area. In the context of crop P requirements, there was 2.6 times more P produced in manure (1.08 million tones) than applied as fertilizer (0.42 million tonnes) in South Brazil in 2003. If it is assumed that fertilizer P use represents P added to meet crop needs and accounts for P sorbed by soil in unavailable forms each year, if swine and poultry manure were to replace fertilizer, there would be an annual P surplus of 0.66 million tonnes in the South region alone. These approximations and estimates highlight that, similarly to other parts of the world, there is a potential for surplus P to quickly accumulate in certain regions of Brazil. Unless measures are developed and implemented to utilize manure P, repeated annual surpluses will create an increasingly difficult problem to solve. These measures can be grouped as source and transport management. Source management attempts to decrease dietary P, use feed additives, manure treatment and composting, as well as careful management of the rate, timing, and method of manure applications. Transport management attempts to control the loss of P in runoff from soil to sensitive waters via use of conservation tillage, buffer or riparian zones, cover crops, and trapping ponds or wetlands. These measures are discussed in the contest of Brazil's climate, topography, and land use, and how successful remediation programs may be implemented at farm and watershed level.

scholarly journals The Current and Future Uses of Biotechnology in Animal Agriculture

Ceiba ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 72-81
Author(s):  
Alison L. Van Eenennaam
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Engineering ◽  
Genetic Improvement ◽  
Production Systems ◽  
Reproductive Technologies ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Breeding Programs ◽  
Animal Products ◽  
Genetic Modifications ◽  
Genomic Tools

Biotechnologies have been an integral part of improvements in animal genetics, nutrition and health over the past century. Many biotechnologies have become fundamental components of efficient livestock production systems. The genetic improvements that have been enabled by biotechnologies have dramatically decreased the environmental footprint of animal protein production in many parts of the world, and continued innovation is required to address the projected increase in demand for animal products in the future. Breeding programs increasingly utilize a combination of advanced reproductive technologies and genomic tools to accelerate the rate of genetic gain by manipulating components of the breeder’s equation. The use of these biotechnologies and breeding methods has met with little public opposition. In contrast, the use of modern biotechnologies, defined as those that employ the use of in vitro nucleic acid techniques, have been highly controversial, especially those involving the use of genetic engineering. This modern biotechnology distinction is somewhat arbitrary as there are a number of biotechnologies that involve the use of in vitro processes, and many result in genetic modifications that are indistinguishable from the naturally-occurring variation that is the driver of both traditional breeding programs and evolution. A number of useful traits including disease resistance and animal welfare traits have been successfully introduced into various livestock species using both genetic engineering and gene editing techniques. Ultimately these techniques complement the genetic improvement that can be accomplished using traditional selection techniques and, if judged acceptable, offer an opportunity to synergistically accelerate genetic improvement in food animal species.

Sustainability in animal production systems

1995 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. R. W. Spedding
Keyword(s):  
Production Systems ◽  
Animal Production ◽  
Animal Production Systems

Abstract‘Sustainability” has been defined in so many different ways that it no longer has an accepted (or acceptable) meaning. Nevertheless, it is being used as a label to confer respectability on corporate plans and research proposals, practical projects, attitudes and intellectual positions. The weaknesses of current definitions are examined with a view to clarifying the physical, biological and socio-economic objectives, covered by the term ‘sustainable’.Since it is no longer feasible to abandon the term or to restrict its scope, it is worth considering what useful meaning can be attached to the concept. An attempt is made to spell out the tvays in which it could sensibly be used in relation to animal production systems. It is suggested that this would have to take the form of a package of expressions covering the essential attributes offuture animal production systems.

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