Feeding the future: Precision, sustainability and climate resilience in veterinary animal nutrition- a review
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Veterinary animal nutrition is entering a decisive period in which feeding must accomplish much more than maximizing production. Modern diets are expected to support health, fertility, immunity, welfare, product quality, environmental stewardship and the capacity of animals to withstand climatic stress. Precision nutrition is advancing this transition by combining accurate feed evaluation, real-time animal monitoring, predictive modelling and targeted nutrient delivery. Sustainability is simultaneously reshaping ingredient selection through improved feed efficiency, circular feed resources, alternative proteins and responsible mineral use. Climate resilience adds another dimension by requiring diets that protect animals during heat, drought, feed scarcity, disease pressure and fluctuating ingredient quality. These objectives are closely interconnected: healthy animals utilize nutrients more efficiently, resilient animals maintain production with fewer emergency inputs, and precisely formulated diets reduce waste and environmental losses. However, technology alone cannot transform livestock systems. Successful implementation requires veterinary oversight, reliable data, locally available resources, practical economics, responsible regulation and farmer participation. This review examines how precision, sustainability and climate resilience can be integrated into a practical nutritional framework for ruminants, poultry, pigs and other food-producing animals. It argues that the future of animal feeding lies not in a single revolutionary ingredient, but in adaptive nutritional systems that continuously align biological needs with environmental conditions and available resources.
Language: English
Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology
Domain: Life Sciences
SDGs: Zero hunger, Climate action
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W7221546523