Introduction

Abstract

How does a chapter on livestock link to the topic of “sustainability”? Among animal science researchers, the term is as widely used and defined as in other disciplines. However, the common ground is usually (like in other disciplines mentioned in the general introduction to this volume) the definition resulting from the Brundtland Commission and covering the preservation of species and ecosystems with focus on distribution across generations (WCED, 1987). The extension of the focus performed by the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro (1992) to fair intra-generational distribution between the developed and developing countries, however, is not yet to be regarded as common ground and has rarely been addressed by animal scientists as e. g. by Hodges (2005). Little attention is given from the animal science discipline to the concept of sustainability per se, but in the last decade, issues related to the concept of sustainability have received increasing attention. For example, Gamborg and Sandoe (2005) summarise prominent values, which define sustainable forms of animal breeding, namely: environmental production, animal health and disease, animal welfare, animal integrity, biodiversity, consumer safety, good quality, competitiveness, and common welfare.