Animal and plant eugenics

Animal and plant eugenics refers to any human intervention in the free and natural reproduction of animals and plants for the purpose of affecting the genetic characteristics of the offspring. Artificial selection of gene pools is also effected incidentally whenever undesirable forms in the present generation are removed from the population, deliberately or accidentally.

Artificial insemination is a common practice to ensure genetic typing of pedigree livestock. Increasingly, genetic material is being manipulated prior to insemination or implantation.