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In commercial farm animal breeding the situation changed quite drastically. From farmers owning males and females, to artificial insemination (AI) companies owning the males and in some species also the breeding females (in pigs, poultry and sometimes also in cattle). The number of herd book organizations has decreased dramatically in the past decades from many regional herd books to a single national herd book (in cattle) or were terminated. In pigs and poultry the pedigree registration and sampling of phenotypic data were taken over by international breeding companies. Nowadays, farm animal breeding aiming to improve milk, meat or egg production is an increasingly global industry.

1.10.1.1 Cattle breeding nowadays

In cattle breeding the AI bulls are still owned by a company, but moreover they start to own also breeding females. In the Netherlands, CRV is the largest cattle breeding company. Worldwide there are less than 10 other large cattle breeding companies. But still a number of smaller breeding companies exist mainly operating in their own country still selling semen as the main product. When doing this, other the competitors can use breeding products without the costs for development. Therefore, larger cattle breeding companies start to apply restrictions on the use of calves for breeding born out of the semen they sell. E.g. CRV introduced restrictions on the use of semen from a small selected group of young bulls that they use as sires of bulls in their own breeding program (Create sires). Breeders using this semen on their farm are not allowed to sell the calves born out of this semen without the permission of CRV. But in cattle, there is strong international exchange of semen and embryo’s for many breeds. Nevertheless, in these global cattle breeds the herd books are organized within the countries they are kept.

1.10.1.2 Pig and poultry breeding nowadays

Commercial pig and poultry companies often keep multiple breeds or lines to combine their characteristics crossbred animals which produce the final products. When you buy their products you will not receive specific pedigree information. Pedigree records are only for their own use in the selection process. In the Netherlands, there are two companies breeding pigs: Topigs Norsvin and Hypor (Hendrix-Genetics). The latter company is also the owner of the lines for laying hens (ISA) and turkey (Hybrid), In broilers, the US company Cobb-Vantress has their European activities concentrated in the Netherlands as Cobb Europe. Globally the number of breeding companies is still decreasing. In laying hens and in broilers there are only 2 major breeding companies left. In pigs, there are a few more larger ones. Pigs and poultry breeding companies do protect their breeding products already from the start. They do not sell animals of their purebred breeding lines. They sell only their crossbred progeny.

1.10.1.3 Horses and companion animals nowadays

Farm animal breeding is very different from breeding of horses and companion animals. Especially sport horse breeding studbooks are operating increasingly at an international and competing level. In the Netherlands, the largest sport horse breeding studbook is the KWPN. They are very successful internationally in breeding horses for dressage and show jumping. The stallions are approved by the studbook after passing strict selection criteria. The KWPN is an open studbook, which means it does not limit itself to register horses that were born and bred in the Netherlands, but it also approves stallions from other studbooks, provided they meet the selection criteria. Companion animals are organized in national breed associations. Their main activities are pedigree recording, approving animals for breeding and organizing shows. The application of breeding principles is often limited in companion animals.