In essence, sustainability is "characteristic of states or processes that can be maintained over time with the right kind of management".
It therefore indicates that a resource can be harvested and consumed endlessly. But what exactly the sustainable use of a resource involves is still open to dispute.
The issues raised by sustainable farm animal breeding and reproduction are complex for two reasons:
1. It is impossible to clarify breeding sustainability without discussing the livestock production sector as a whole, and indeed agriculture as a whole, and indeed the food industry as a whole... and so on. Besides this, the issues change as we turn from ruminants to pigs, and then to poultry, and then to fish.
2. The concept of sustainability is highly elastic. In farm animal breeding, the concerns gathered under the umbrella of sustainability include animal welfare and health, animal integrity, biodiversity, environmental protection, consumer safety, food quality, profitability and general commercial viability. Obviously, each of these concerns is a topic in its own right.The key challenge set by sustainability is that of clarifying and balancing these concerns. How can we meet this challenge?
In SEFABAR Stakeholders listed their individual concerns. Criteria that must be satisfied can be stated. In turn, measurable indicators that show whether a criterion is satisfied can be identified.
This approach results in a treelike conceptual structure. Conflicts among the concerns can be dealt with in two ways.
1. Technological adjustments might resolve the conflict.
2. Alternatively, an assessment of the relative weights of individual concerns can be made - the idea being that if one concern outweighs another, the relevant clash can be settled. How much conflict there will be among concerns about sustainability. This will, to some extend, depend on whether sustainability is being employed within the breeding industry as a managerial tool or figuring as an instrument of communication in societywide discussion. In the latter case, more conflict can be anticipated. In short, sustainability is not a single, welldefined concept with an agreed role.
Sustainability has both factual and evaluative elements. Dilemmas are inherent to this, so some kind of balancing of concerns inevitably attends its use.
Balancing requires concerns to be prioritised, which again raises questions about values. Moreover, if we - breeders, the livestock production sector, and society in general, present and future - are to get what we want from sustainability, dialogue will be necessary. Needless to say, successful dialogue cannot be expected without real transparency among all stakeholders.
