Historian Margaret Derry presents “The Rise of Genetics and its Impact on Breeding in the Chicken, Dairy and Beef Industries.”

Derry is interested in how animal breeding has been practiced in the past. She has written numerous books focusing on animals, breeding and animal ethics. Her book, Masterminding Nature: the Breeding of Animals, has a chapter on ethical concerns, historically speaking, and livestock industries. Some topics she has covered are calf killing and the dairy industry in the 19th century, the problem of veal calf care, dehorning cattle in the 19th century and today, sexing livestock, chick killing and the egg industry. She is also working on a book that assesses patterns in purebred breeding that resist attempts to eliminate genetic defects.

Location: OVC Lifetime Learning Centre, Room 1715