Gene-edited farm animals are on their way

Scientists have created pigs that are immune to one of the world’s costliest livestock diseases.

The team edited the animals’ DNA to make them resist the deadly respiratory disease known as PRRS – a move that could prevent billions of pounds in losses each year.

However, consumers have traditionally been reluctant to eat genetically altered animals and crops.

This poses a significant barrier to farmers owning gene-edited pigs.

And because genome, or gene, editing (GE) is relatively new, the absence of regulation currently prevents their sale anyway.

GE is different to the more widely used technology of genetic modification. The former involves the precise alteration of an organism’s DNA, while the latter is characterised by the introduction of foreign genetic sequences into another living thing.

The pig research also raises animal welfare issues. Critics say that creating disease-resistant animals will discourage farmers from improving the welfare of their livestock. Some think that the way the animals are kept can make them less prone to contracting the virus that causes PRRS.

PRRS, which stands for Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, can cause breathing problems and death in young pigs.

Why don’t consumers want to eat genetically altered foods?

In the past, there have been fears (unsupported by scientific evidence) that GM foods might cause harm to human health.

Among those concerns are that the products of modified crops or animals might trigger allergies or that genes inserted into the food would get into human DNA.

But GM foods have been available for decades and no adverse effects on humans have ever been reported.

In its guidance, the World Health Organization (WHO) says: “No effects on human health have been shown as a result of the consumption of such foods by the general population in the countries where they have been approved.”