Future market and consumer-orientated breeding goals

Livestock breeding goals have to be orientated towards the future, firstly because breeding schemes can lead to substantial genetic changes and reduct ion in biodiversity over time, and secondly because there is a time lag bet ween selection decisions and when the genetic changes from these decisions are utilized. Consequently, it is impossible to define appropriate breeding goals without an idea about future market and production circumstances. Si nce human needs and demands for animal products are expected to double duri ng the next 30 years, production traits should be given first priority, but greater emphasis should be given to the utilization of resources, and envi ronmental and welfare aspects of animal production. In dairy cattle breedin g secondary traits such as health, longevity, persistency and calving perfo rmance are expected to be important in the future. The use of target breedi ng goals for a few secondary traits in combination with an aggregate econom ic goal for the primary traits seems a worthwhile consideration. It is sugg ested that the use of new reproduction technologies e.g. (transfer of sexed embryos) and strategies may change the primary goal from 305-day to 1000-d ay lactation records.