Ethics & Society

Animal breeding activities are performed in a sensitive domain since it involves animals. Society / the public has views and opinions on applied techniques of breeding companies, and on the outcomes of genetic selection. In this field, also ethical questions for the companies themselves may rise. Breed4Food has initiated a work package (WP5 “Ethics and society”) to address societal and ethical challenges the animal breeding sector is facing. The main aim is to increase societal and ethical awareness of the partner organisations of Breed4Food and to connect more intensively to societal stakeholders.

Exploring, learning and discussing these kinds of topics together is the main point of this work package. No fundamental research will be conducted, existing expertise will be collected from literature and by consulting experts. Interactivity is the core method to be applied: starting within the companies, and increasingly with the outside world (involving stakeholders). In the first phase, the focus will be on the societal orientation. From the second year onwards, this will be combined with ethical reflection.