Improving Sustainability, Welfare, and Meat Quality in Livestock Production

Dear Colleagues,

Meat is the most valuable source of highly digestible nutrients for people, and sustainable livestock production is the clue to sustainable food production. Meat production is an important branch of the food industry. However, livestock housing systems have different potential when it comes to being sustainable and to offering animals a high level of welfare. Both the environmental conditions on the farm and the welfare of livestock will affect the performance of animals reared for meat, as well as the intrinsic meat quality attributes. Animals reared in pasture or outdoors with access to natural foodstuffs produce meat of different attributes than those reared indoors, under controlled environments, fed with commercial feed. It is not only the effect of indoor vs. outdoor, obviously. Outdoor housing is related to increased exercise and a specific diet, in most cases with certain breeds or breed crosses. These kinds of housing systems have greater potential to produce fit animals which will be the source of high-quality meat, usually characterized by specific flavor and aroma. Some indoor systems also have the potential to offer a high level of welfare, such as deep-bedded systems. However, aside from the influence of deep-bedded housing on fattening performance, the effect on the quality of meat has not been proven.

This Special Issue focuses on alternative, extensive animal husbandry practices that allow for the production of high-quality meat while maintaining high welfare standards and being in balance with the environment.

Dr. Agnieszka Ludwiczak
Dr. Joanna Składanowska-Baryza
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• sustainability
• livestock production
• extensive production
• outdoor rearing
• pasture-based
• organic
• alternative housing systems
• meat quality