{"title":"The use of performance-enhancing technologies in global livestock production","authors":"A. Dilger, D. Boler","doi":"10.2527/AF.2016-0037","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"has been and is expected to continue to increase. However, land available for food production is not increasing and may, in fact, be reduced in the future due to climatic changes. Furthermore, the impact of animal production on natural resources and the environment must be addressed. Thus, to produce more food for more people on less land with fewer resources, production efficiency must be increased. In other words, the performance of meat production systems must be enhanced through the use of technology. However, the use of technologies and even the need and implementation of particular technologies differ throughout the world based on production system, cultural approaches to meat consumption, and the availability of technologies themselves. Previous editions of Animal Frontiers (January and July 2013) focused on the contributions of animal production to global food security, emphasizing both agriculture in developing countries and the application of technologies in animal production. The current issue expands on those ideas with more detail regarding the use of performance-enhancing technologies in the production of meat from cattle, swine, small ruminants, poultry, and fish. This issue also strives to present the diversity of technologies employed globally. While some might find performance-enhancing technologies synonymous with animal pharmaceuticals, technologies used in animal production also encompass genetic and reproductive technologies, feed processing and additives, and animal management and production practices. The contribution of these other technological advancements in production should not be overlooked and continue to be refined. The critical need for performance-enhancing technologies is detailed in the article by Dunshea et al. (2016). They highlight technologies that reduce the amount of inputs (mainly feed) needed to produce meat, increase the amount of meat obtainable from animals, or both. These improvements directly benefit livestock producers by reducing their costs and increasing their revenues. However, consumers of meat benefit from these technologies as well as meat is less expensive and more plentiful. Less apparent, but no less meaningful, is the direct benefit to the environment of these technologies as more meat is produced with less of an environmental impact.","PeriodicalId":48645,"journal":{"name":"Animal Frontiers","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":3.2000,"publicationDate":"2016-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.2527/AF.2016-0037","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Animal Frontiers","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.2527/AF.2016-0037","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"AGRICULTURE, DAIRY & ANIMAL SCIENCE","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
has been and is expected to continue to increase. However, land available for food production is not increasing and may, in fact, be reduced in the future due to climatic changes. Furthermore, the impact of animal production on natural resources and the environment must be addressed. Thus, to produce more food for more people on less land with fewer resources, production efficiency must be increased. In other words, the performance of meat production systems must be enhanced through the use of technology. However, the use of technologies and even the need and implementation of particular technologies differ throughout the world based on production system, cultural approaches to meat consumption, and the availability of technologies themselves. Previous editions of Animal Frontiers (January and July 2013) focused on the contributions of animal production to global food security, emphasizing both agriculture in developing countries and the application of technologies in animal production. The current issue expands on those ideas with more detail regarding the use of performance-enhancing technologies in the production of meat from cattle, swine, small ruminants, poultry, and fish. This issue also strives to present the diversity of technologies employed globally. While some might find performance-enhancing technologies synonymous with animal pharmaceuticals, technologies used in animal production also encompass genetic and reproductive technologies, feed processing and additives, and animal management and production practices. The contribution of these other technological advancements in production should not be overlooked and continue to be refined. The critical need for performance-enhancing technologies is detailed in the article by Dunshea et al. (2016). They highlight technologies that reduce the amount of inputs (mainly feed) needed to produce meat, increase the amount of meat obtainable from animals, or both. These improvements directly benefit livestock producers by reducing their costs and increasing their revenues. However, consumers of meat benefit from these technologies as well as meat is less expensive and more plentiful. Less apparent, but no less meaningful, is the direct benefit to the environment of these technologies as more meat is produced with less of an environmental impact.
期刊介绍:
Animal Frontiers is the official journal of the following globally active professional animal science societies:
ASAS, the American Society of Animal Science
CSAS, the Canadian Society of Animal Science
EAAP, the European Federation of Animal Science
AMSA, the American Meat Science Association
These organizations are dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of science-based knowledge concerning animal agriculture. Animal Frontiers provides a novel forum for innovative and timely perspectives that have relevance to understanding the complex dynamics at work through animal agriculture. Animal Frontiers publishes discussion and position papers that present several international perspectives on the status of high-impact, global issues in animal agriculture. Every issue will explore a theme of broad and current interest within animal science and animal agriculture.