Defra urged to push ahead with gene editing for livestock

Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Science and Technology in Agriculture have called on Defra ministers to push ahead with implementing legislation under the Precision Breeding Act, to accelerate the use of gene editing in farmed animals.

The committee’s vice-chairman, Charlie Dewhirst, a former policy director at the National Pig Association, stressed the importance of using every available tool to tackle the devastating impact of disease on livestock production and on farmers’ livelihoods. 

“Any unwarranted delay in implementing the act’s provisions would be a major setback for prospects to use genome editing to tackle virulent livestock diseases such as bird flu in poultry, African swine fever in pigs, and bovine TB and bovine viral diarrhoea in cattle,” he said.

See also: Defra secretary gives the thumbs up to gene editing at Oxford

Even though the previous Conservative government had passed the primary legislation to permit gene editing in 2023, the secondary legislation needed to implement it was subsequently delayed.

At the Oxford Farming Conference earlier this month, Defra secretary Steve Reed said the implementing regulations would be laid in parliament by the end of March.

Speaking at the start of Agri-Science Week in parliament this week – an event organised by the committee – Mr Dewhirst said that announcement was “very welcome”, but pointed out that it applied only to plants.

“The scope of the Precision Breeding Act also covers farmed animals, but there has been no firm commitment to a similar timetable for introducing parallel implementing rules for livestock,” he said.

“I would urge ministers to bring this forward at the earliest possible opportunity.”

The call was issued after the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) approved the technology’s safety in a draft scientific opinion on the use of gene editing in animals.

Efsa concluded that “no new potential hazards, and thus no new risks to humans, animals or the environment, are anticipated”.

Defra said its move to introduce the legislation required to unlock precision breeding in plants was designed to “boost Britain’s food security, support nature’s recovery and protect farmers from climate shocks”. 

“We continue to consider the animal welfare framework outlined in the Precision Breeding Act,” a Defra spokesperson said, adding that no decision had yet been taken.