In this paper we have presented the current breeding objectives for the Brown Swiss, Fleckvieh and Holstein breeds in Slovenia. Data from milk recording show the genetic progress that needs to be supported by appropriate management. Our results show that farmers are increasingly focussing on functional traits such as longevity, fertility, calving ease, milking speed and health-related traits rather than just production traits. Numerous studies indicate that selection for functional and health traits is more profitable in the long term than selection focussing only on production traits. Recently, health traits such as mastitis resistance, claw and leg health, fertility, longevity, milking speed and calving ease have become particularly important, also in the context of animal welfare. From an environmental perspective, the most important aspects are production efficiency, the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the improvement of feed utilisation and the longevity of the animals. All of these characteristics are also important for farmers, as longer-lived and more productive animals with better feed conversion have a lower environmental footprint and higher productivity per unit of production. In this work, we also analysed selection decisions and breeding objectives from the public's point of view and found that society primarily values health traits, animal welfare and longevity. Modern breeding goals for dairy and dual-purpose breeds therefore include traits that simultaneously improve animal welfare, reduce environmental impact and increase production efficiency.
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