TEIKEI Network › Breeders, Farms and Producers › Seeds and Breeding · 3 min read
Where animals are kept, responsibility begins before the barn. Breeding determines whether an animal is robust, whether it can thrive on pasture, and whether a breed fits a farm and its landscape.
This page explains why animal breeding is at the root of food supply and who is responsible for it today.
Breeding is highly concentrated. In poultry breeding, three major players and their subsidiaries dominate the market. Laying hens come from just two breeding companies (top agrar, September 2026).
Local breeds are at risk. Globally, 20 percent of local livestock breeds are considered endangered. For 67 percent, the status is unknown (FAO, data as of February 2017).
Responsibility for the entire life. When people keep animals, they take responsibility for their entire lives—from birth and rearing to the end of life. This is described in the glossary entry Animal Nutrition Including Meat.
With old breeds, the question arises whether they should be preserved as they were or whether their performance should be improved to ensure their survival on farms. ProSpecieRara advocates for a middle ground:
To achieve this, common rules are needed:
Ökologische Tierzucht (Germany). The non-profit Ökologische Tierzucht gGmbH breeds animals for organic farming, including dual-purpose chickens and cattle. Its shareholders are Bioland and Demeter. Their motto: "Organic begins with breeding."
ProSpecieRara (Switzerland). The foundation preserves 42 livestock breeds from nine animal species: poultry, sheep, goats, cattle, pigs, rabbits, horses, bees, and dogs. These breeds only survive if enough people keep them. More details on the page ProSpecieRara – Preservation Through Use.
Keepers and farms. Anyone who keeps and breeds animals of a rare breed contributes to its preservation. For chickens or rabbits, a few square meters of garden are sufficient (ProSpecieRara).
↑ One level up: Seeds and Breeding
By Felix Schröder, with support from AI (Claude)
Created on October 10, 2026 · Last updated on October 11, 2026
Questions or feedback? support@teikei.us