Research and innovation are essential to ensure continuous improvements needed for a sustainable and competitive livestock sector. The breeding goal of farm animals has changed over the years. Many cattle breeds were originally dual purpose, used for milk and meat production and occasionally draught purposes. Even now a lot of breeds are dual purpose breeds, combining relatively high milk production with good meat production thus providing significant extra revenue for the farmers. Beef recording and specialisation into beef breeds has mainly developed in the last 40 years " starting in the 1960s with weight recording on farm, later followed by performance testing in test stations allowing direct comparison of animals. Some poultry firms, starting from having only production characteristics like carcass quality in the breeding goal, have moved towards incorporating taste and health, and later also welfare in the breeding goals as well. This book is specially design for the undergraduate student in Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine.
