Using animal history to inform current debates in gene editing farm animals: A systematic review

Wright, Will; Tworek, Heidi; Keyserlingk, Marina A. G. von; Koralesky, Katherine E.; Weary, Daniel M.

doi:10.3389/fsufs.2022.938085

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 134 publications

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“…Bandewar et al (2017) emphasise the mistrust of outsiders and what are viewed as 'dubious NGOs' promising improved incomes or production efficiencies for farmers in Africa. The legacy of past problematic agricultural technology transfers is likely to impact the acceptance and adoption of gene editing particularly in LMICs (see also Wright et al, 2022).…”

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Designing a "good life" for livestock: Could gene editing improve farm animal welfare in low- and middle- income countries?

Buddle,

Ankeny,

Paxton

2023

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Gene editing techniques have provided humans with abilities to alter the plants and animals on which we depend for food, fibre, and various services. The technology has advanced rapidly in the past decade, allowing breeders to alter specific genetic traits with minimal impact on others (Fahrenkrug et al., 2010). There are countless potential applications for gene editing in animal agriculture, from productivity gains to altering product characteristics (Perisse et al., 2021). However, a key focus has been the potential to improve animal welfare by better adapting livestock to their environment including in response to climate change (Karavolias et al., 2021).Population growth, urbanisation, and increased incomes, have increased the global demand for animal products, with much of this demand coming from low-and middle-income countries (hereafter LMICs), prompting investment and intensification in their domestic livestock sectors (Parlasca & Qaim, 2022;von Keyserlingk & Hötzel, 2015). LMICs are now some of the largest producers of animal food products, including milk, eggs, and cattle, substantially contributing to national economies and household incomes (Herrero et al., 2013). However the importance of animal welfare both as an inherent value and a means of sustaining production and improving public health is not widely recognised in some of these locales (Parlasca et al., 2023;Qekwana et al., 2019). Animal welfare regulation and access to veterinary care are patchy in many LMICs (Qekwana et al., 2019). It is therefore reasonable to ask whether animal welfare could be improved by adapting livestock to these production environments including through use of gene editing.In the development of this Guidance Memo, we set out to explore whether gene editing could improve farm animal welfare in LMICs. Despite numerous relevant applications of gene editing currently being explored in research settings, and limited regulatory, cultural, or religious impediments to its use in LMICs, we found that the prevalence of less vertically-integrated, industrialised systems and nonstandardised species in these countries, together with likely high cost, lack of investment in gene editing in LMICs by biotech companies and NGOs, and lack of local biotech resources, makes its use unlikely in the short-to medium-term in LMIC livestock production systems particularly for traits associated with animal welfare.In this Guidance Memo, we outline the potential uses of gene editing in livestock production for animal welfare purposes. Based on in-depth literature analysis of scholarly articles, policy documents, and grey literature, we explore how proposed uses of gene editing in livestock align (or fail to align) with animal welfare priorities in LMICs. Based on these considerations, we provide a summary of where gene editing might have potential for benefit in terms of livestock animal welfare in LMICs and raise a series of cautionary notes about the likelihood of its widespread deployment in these locales at least in the short-and medium-run.

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confidence: 99%