Sustainability in animal production systems

‘Sustainability” has been defined in so many different ways that it no longer has an accepted (or acceptable) meaning. Nevertheless, it is being used as a label to confer respectability on corporate plans and research proposals, practical projects, attitudes and intellectual positions. The weaknesses of current definitions are examined with a view to clarifying the physical, biological and socio-economic objectives, covered by the term ‘sustainable’. Since it is no longer feasible to abandon the term or to restrict its scope, it is worth considering what useful meaning can be attached to the concept. An attempt is made to spell out the tvays in which it could sensibly be used in relation to animal production systems. It is suggested that this would have to take the form of a package of expressions covering the essential attributes offuture animal production systems.