Compassion Breeding
If you were a bull who knew that you would be castrated, would you prefer pain meds? What if you could also inherit genetic protection from extreme pain? Just as humans naturally vary in their sensitivity to pain and suffering, so do animals.
Combating Inhumane Breeding
Dogs, like many animals, have been bred in a way that causes health problems including: difficulty breathing, arthritis, cancer, hip dysplasia, as well as greater anxiety and depression. Some Western European countries have outlawed "torture breeding," but so far this has mostly applied to pet dogs. Compassion breeding, however, can reverse the causes of suffering across species.
Humane Traits Aren't Prioritized
Companies and breeders who work for them do allocate resources to improve animal health. However, agricultural companies are incentivized to push for ever faster growth and production of meat, dairy, and other products, putting tremendous strain on animals' bodies. Welfare is only a consideration to the degree necessary to prevent financial loss. Efforts to persuade these companies to adopt e.g. slower growing breeds of chickens have largely failed because slower production usually reduces profits.
Pain's Neurological Foundation
The world is unlikely to go completely vegan overnight, and 'culturing' animal cells for meat at scale has proven difficult. Under these circumstances, we can breed animals for better mental health, focusing on targeting the neuro-genetic foundations of pain, anxiety, and depression.
Reducing Pain, Not Eliminating It
We don't want to create 'pain-free' animals. Animals that don't feel pain might hurt themselves, and suffer in other ways as a result. But that doesn't mean they should be made to suffer as much as they do now. Compassion breeding is a more humane approach that involves less pain.
