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Improved Animal Breeding Practices

The objective of FAO is to ensure that governments, agricultural producers, the food industry and consumers are aware of their responsibilities in the search for sustainable agricultural production systems, socially viable, income-producing and productive, protecting at the same time human, animal and environmental health and wellbeing.

The Improved Animal Breeding Practices are known to be all actions involved in the primary production and transport of livestock-based food products, tending to ensure its safety, such as:

• Facilities: Location, biologic security, characteristics of the construction and property, hygienic conditions.
• Pest control: rodents, insects
• Sanitary Scope: animal health, use of drugs, sanitary situation, storage of vaccines and drugs, veterinary products residues.
• Food and Water: elaboration/purchase and supply of food, availability and use of water.
• Animal Transport: general regulation, hygienic aspects, load characteristics, transport and unloading, responsibilities during the operation.
• Animal register and identification: individual identification of animals, individual register with veterinary and zoo technical handling records.
• Animal Wellbeing: avoid unnecessary pains, comfortable conditions in shelters, prevention and control of diseases, adequate areas between equals according to species, reduction of stress levels.
• Working conditions: personnel training, personnel safety and hygiene and animals handled.
• Environmental handling of residues.

To date, the improved animal breeding practice more than an attribute is a competitiveness component allowing the rural producer to differentiate his products from others being offered, with all the economic advantages it entails (better prices, access to new markets, consolidation of current markets, and others). The use of improved animal breeding practices constitutes a tool to pursue environmental, economic and social sustainability of livestock exploitations, especially those of small subsistence producers. For the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean they represent a challenge and an opportunity, since from its fulfillment (safety, environment and health) depends the entrance of their livestock products into markets of increasing quality requirements, whether external or local.