Since domestication of livestock species, humans have tried to alter them to make them more suitable as producers of food and fibre, or better able to provide draught power, transport, etc. Over recent years great advances have been made in animal breeding, built on the foundations laid by quantitative genetics and more recently molecular genetics. Genetic improvement of livestock has also been advanced by the growth in the availability of powerful computers enabling the implementation of sophisticated genetic models. All of these advances have taken us closer to achieving greater progress in selection schemes.

Click on the modules to find out more.