Fokken

Fokken is a Dutch verb meaning to breed or propagate animals or plants. In agricultural and horticultural contexts, it refers to the deliberate mating and selection of individuals to produce offspring with desirable traits. Related noun forms include fok (the breeding stock), fokkerij (breeding industry), fokker (breeder), and fokprogramma (breeding program).

In practice, fokken involves selecting candidates based on characteristics such as productivity, health, temperament, or conformation, recording pedigrees, and managing matings to avoid inbreeding and maintain genetic diversity. It is common in cattle, horses, dogs, poultry, and crop breeding. Fokkerijen and the breeding sector operate under national and EU guidelines to ensure welfare and genetic stewardship. The term covers both small-scale farm breeding and formal breeding programs within professional breeding enterprises.

Language notes: In Dutch, fokken primarily means to breed; in informal speech it can appear as an intensifier in some dialects and may carry vulgar overtones in certain contexts. In Afrikaans, a related language, fokken is a vulgar verb meaning to have sexual intercourse and is widely considered coarse language; it is not a direct synonym of the Dutch term in professional contexts.