Gene-edited animals may soon be used for meat production in England following new legislation that could permit the commercial sale of “precision bred” animals, raising alarm among animal protection advocates about welfare risks and lack of transparency.
Researchers have already experimented with gene editing on pigs, chickens, sheeps, and cows, using technologies such as CRISPR to alter traits like disease resistance or hornlessness. This development risks worsening the already harmful conditions faced by animals in intensive farming systems.
Evidence from New Zealand has intensified these concerns. Public reports from a now-closed gene-editing facility revealed multiple welfare issues in altered animals, including deformities and illness. Claire Bleakley, president of GE Free New Zealand, said to the Ecologist the reports show gene-edited livestock suffering from chronic foot problems, pneumonia, respiratory issues, fused organs and deformities.”
Concerns also centre on the possibility that gene editing could entrench intensive farming practices rather than replace them. Penny Hawkins, head of animals in science at the RSPCA, warned that all the ethical and welfare issues “will just be swept under the carpet and gene editing animals will be seen as the answer to all sorts of veterinary, housing, husbandry problems, even climate change.” She questioned why animals should be altered instead of changing human consumption habits.
Ethical objections extend beyond welfare impacts. Melanie Challenger, author of How to Be Animal and a researcher on the history of ideas, said, “from a justice point of view, you should never be industry-led on something that is this ethically problematic.”
A legal challenge against the regulations is currently awaiting judgement in the High Court, while critics warn that without mandatory labelling, consumers may unknowingly purchase products derived from gene-edited animals.
