ASAS Foundation Week - Taking Stock - Special Edition
May 19, 2025

Farm animal production has undergone significant transformations in the last 60 years, associated with globalization, population growth, increasing affluence, and the resulting demand for animal products. Altogether, this has driven a significant growth in the global number of animals and continuous changes in the production systems in response to different environmental, social, and economic challenges.

Pasture-based dairy systems aim to match feed demand with home-grown feed supply by maximizing the amount of pasture in the cows’ diet. This is achieved through concentrated (or ‘compact’) seasonal calving where cows are typically dried off together in autumn and calve in late winter/early spring within a short timeframe (e.g., 78% within 6 wk) so that peak milk production coincides with peak grass growth and by maintaining cows at grass for extended periods (Kelly et al., 2020). While such systems were traditionally seen as extensive, intensification has occurred, leading to discussions about welfare challenges (Mee and Boyle, 2020).

Societal scrutiny of animal welfare in food production systems is intensifying. In the dairy sector, the impact of heat stress on cow productivity, health, and welfare is a growing global concern, particularly with increasing temperatures and weather variability predicted to become more extreme (Nguyen et al., 2016). Excessive heat can negatively impact biological functioning including milk production, health, and reproduction (Kadzere et al., 2002), and in severe circumstances, it can cause suffering, reduce quality of life, or even lead to death (Polsky and von Keyserlingk, 2017).

Gilt selection has always been a critical task in the global pig industry. From local breeders within herd book farms to selection specialists within large integrated multisite producers, having a quality selection of incoming great-grand-parent, grand-parent, and parent animals is a core baseline requirement and fundamental for generational success. Key aspects of solid selection have changed over the years, mainly driven by the increased understanding that selection as an outcome of youngstock development achieves desired production results (Patterson and Foxcroft, 2019).

There is growing societal concern for farm animal welfare and interest in production conditions (European Commission, 2022). In many countries, quality assurance labels have been established to communicate that products have been produced from animals reared on higher welfare-certified farms. In this way, consumers can choose to play a role in driving farm animal welfare improvements through their product purchases (Christensen et al., 2019).

At least nine of the 27 EU member states have national food labeling schemes with animal welfare claims, and there is a growing plethora of private animal welfare labels (AWL), e.g., as part of the marketing strategy of retail companies (Lundmark et al., 2018; EC, 2022; Stygar et al., 2022). The impact of these labels on the welfare of farmed animals is generally considered disappointing (but see Mullan et al., 2016, 2022). The multitude of labels often confuse the consumer, and there seems to be a clear need for simplifying the existing state of play of these labeling schemes (BEUC, 2021; Forbes, 2021; Promarket, 2021; EC, 2022).

Zinc (Zn) is an essential trace mineral that plays a crucial role in maintaining intestinal barrier function and structure. This research aimed to expand our understanding of the role of the rumen epithelium in Zn metabolism in ruminants. Using 4 ruminally fistulated steers, 2 experiments were conducted to evaluate Zn’s disappearance from the rumen.

Reducing the ecological footprint of animal agriculture is crucial for sustainable precision agriculture. Accurately predicting dry matter intake (DMI) in cattle is a key strategy to achieve this goal. In this study, we utilized animal intake data with climatic data to predict the dry matter intake using advanced machine learning (ML) models including Gaussian Process Boosting (GPBoost).

As bioethanol production grows, corn distillers dried grains with solubles (cDDGS) have become a popular, cost-effective feed ingredient for pigs, replacing corn and soybean meal. However, cDDGS are high in fiber, which can reduce nutrient digestibility in pigs. Supplementation of exogenous enzymes like xylanase and cellulase to cDDGS diets can improve nutrient absorption and feed efficiency by breaking down these fibers and altering the gut environment.

Dietary nutrients not only play a crucial role in growth and pectoralis muscle production of broilers but also are associated with the occurrence of pectoralis myopathies. Soybean oil is commonly added to animal diets to increase energy density.

Reactive behaviors in horses can impact the welfare and safety of both the horse and the handler. Reductions in reactivity have been observed in horses-fed diets with increased fat and low starch and sugar, but the effects of specific fatty acids on reactive behaviors in horses is unknown. Therefore, the objective of the study is to investigate the impacts of camelina oil (providing the plant-based α-linolenic acid, ALA) and a mix of camelina and algae oil (providing the marine-based eicosapentaenoic acid, EPA, and docosahexaenoic acid, DHA) on plasma fatty acids, heart rate variability, and reactive behaviors.

Lidocaine, a typical local anesthetic, is used during medical procedures to reduce pain by blocking nerve signals. Researchers often apply lidocaine at biopsy sites to ease discomfort, assuming it does not affect characteristics of the tissue relevant to their study.

Breeding herd retention poses significant challenges to the swine industry, with lameness ranking as a leading cause for breeding pig removal from the herd. Structural conformation is typically evaluated through visual observation; however, these methods are subjective and can vary in accuracy between observers. This study developed and assessed a computer-based algorithm for extracting feet and leg conformation traits from images of pigs.

Pulse ingredients are heavily used in the global pet food industry, but little is known about how diets that contain different amounts of total dietary fiber and starch affect the fecal bile acids (BAs) and metabolites produced. The objective of this study was to understand how the inclusion of pulse ingredients at the sacrifice of grains or pea starch affected the excretion of fecal BAs and metabolites, such as short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in healthy adult dogs.

This study investigates the use of defatted black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) as an alternative protein source for pet food. Two BSFLM raised on wheat (BSFLM-W) or corn (BSFLM-C) substrates were compared with traditional protein sources, whole egg powder (WEP) and chicken meal (CM). The precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay was employed to determine the protein quality of these ingredients.

Ruminant adipose tissue (AT) stores lipids for use in productive functions during negative energy balance (NEB) which occurs during early lactation or undernutrition. The molecular mechanisms underlying the nutritional regulation of gene expression in AT from lactating goats are not fully understood.

This special issue of Animal Frontiers is the legacy of two major scientific events related to farm animal welfare that took place in Florence, Italy in 2024. The first was the 9th International Conference on the Welfare Assessment of Animals at Farm Level (WAFL) organized in collaboration with the Health and Welfare Commission of the European Federation of Animal Science (EAAP).

A consensus study that explored Heritable Genetic Modification in Food Animals was released by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) on April 23, 2025, noting the study committee’s conclusion that overall, food derived from genome-edited animals is generally safe to eat. The committee also addressed the benefits of biotechnology to agricultural productivity and sustainability, while investigating potential risks.

The 2025 International Livestock Congress (ILC) held March 4-5 in Houston, Texas, during the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, brought together global industry leaders, scholars, and policymakers to address critical issues shaping the future of animal agriculture. With the theme "Effectively Communicating Sound Science and the Value of Animal Agriculture to Society," this year’s Congress underscored the importance of data-driven decision-making, sustainability, and public engagement in shaping policies that impact the livestock and meat industries.