Possibilities for Breeding in Organic Dairy Farming

Summary

In the organic sector there is an ongoing debate about the development of organic breeding methods. The debate revolves around two issues: 1) how the principle of naturalness in organic agriculture (that is, using natural processes wherever possible) can be reconciled with the increasing use of modern reproduction techniques in conventional breeding; and 2) whether animals produced by conventional breeding programs are actually suitable for organic agriculture or whether the organic sector itself should start producing animals that fit into organic production systems. Investigations into these issues gave rise to a doctorate research: “Selective breeding in organic dairy production”