Review: Farm−level incentive-driven genetic decisions are key to addressing value chain demand for beef and dairy product sustainability attributes

Beef and dairy production systems have made dramatic productivity gains over the last century and, as a result, produce more meat and milk per animal than at any point in human history. Genetic improvement has played a key role in this progress and, due to the cumulative and permanent nature of its effect, remains a critical intervention to support more productive and sustainable food systems. An increasing focus on product sustainability attributes, particularly those related to environmental impact, is signaling the need for credible farm-level solutions that can be scaled up to address entire supply chains. Selective beef and dairy breeding programs can be designed to meet the needs of value chain stakeholders by targeting improvements in efficiency, product quality and overall system profitability, while, at the same time, addressing animal health, well-being and environmental footprint. Though genetic gain is the most visible metric used to determine the success of breeding program execution and is an important driver of ongoing performance improvement, optimization of mating decisions, herd structure and dissemination strategies are all critical factors that must be combined with genetic improvement to ensure maximum impact at the commercial level. Minimal integration in many beef and dairy supply chains has led to limited investment in genetic approaches that do not provide obvious near-term farmer benefits, even if the net benefit for all stakeholders is positive. Recent value chain commitments to reducing the environmental impact of beef and dairy production provide opportunities to incentivize farm-level decision makers to access and implement bespoke genetics and genetic strategies that improve long-term on-farm profitability and credibly reduce environmental impact per unit of product produced. Once the impact of genetics is quantified and verified, genetic interventions can be quickly scaled up to meet the sustainable sourcing requirements of a beef or dairy supply shed. This review describes current evidence for the influence of genetic improvement on livestock sustainability and outlines a novel framework for applying a genetic approach to advancing the environmental performance of beef and dairy systems.