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Agriculture: Steps to sustainable livestock

Nature volume 507, pages 32–34 (2014)Cite this article

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With improved breeding and cultivation, ruminant animals can yield food that is better for people and the planet, say Mark C. Eisler, Michael R. F. Lee and colleagues.

The need for efficient food production has never been greater. One in seven humans is undernourished1. Urbanization and biofuel production are reducing land availability, and climate change, lack of water and soil degradation are decreasing harvests. Over the past decade, cereal yields per hectare have fallen in one-quarter of countries. Meanwhile, developing nations and the growing world population are demanding more animal protein.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Mark C. Eisler is professor of global farm animal health at the School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, UK. He is also at the Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, UK.,

    Mark C. Eisler

  2. UK; and at the Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems Department, Michael R. F. Lee is reader in sustainable livestock systems at the School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, UK. He is also at the Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK.,

    Michael R. F. Lee

  3. the Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems Department, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK.,

    Michael R. F. Lee

  4. John F. Tarlton is senior research fellow in matrix biology at the School of Veterinary Sciences, University of Bristol, UK. He is also at the Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, UK.,

    John F. Tarlton

  5. Graeme B. Martin is professor of animal science, UWA Institute of Agriculture, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.,

    Graeme B. Martin

  6. John Beddington is at the Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford, UK.,

    John Beddington

  7. Tom Misselbrook and Phil Murray are at the Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems Department, Jennifer A. J. Dungait, Rothamsted Research, North Wyke, UK.,

    Jennifer A. J. Dungait, Tom Misselbrook & Phil Murray

  8. Henry Greathead and Helen Miller are at the Institute of Integrative and Comparative Biology, University of Leeds, UK.,

    Henry Greathead & Helen Miller

  9. Jianxin Liu is at the College of Animal Sciences at Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.,

    Jianxin Liu

  10. Stephen Mathew and Valil K. Vinod are at the Kerala Veterinary and Animal Science University, Pookode, India.,

    Stephen Mathew & Valil K. Vinod

  11. Robert Van Saun is at the College of Agriculture, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania.,

    Robert Van Saun

  12. Michael Winter is at the Centre for Rural Policy Research, University of Exeter, UK.,

    Michael Winter

Authors
  1. Mark C. Eisler
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  2. Michael R. F. Lee
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  3. John F. Tarlton
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  4. Graeme B. Martin
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  5. John Beddington
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  6. Jennifer A. J. Dungait
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  7. Henry Greathead
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  8. Jianxin Liu
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  9. Stephen Mathew
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  10. Helen Miller
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  11. Tom Misselbrook
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  12. Phil Murray
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  13. Valil K. Vinod
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  14. Robert Van Saun
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  15. Michael Winter
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mark C. Eisler.

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Eisler, M., Lee, M., Tarlton, J. et al. Agriculture: Steps to sustainable livestock. Nature 507, 32–34 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/507032a

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