Hornless cows, permanent piglets
Farm animals may soon get new features through gene editing
Cows that can withstand OAKFIELD, N.Y. hotter temperatures. Cows born without pesky horns. Pigs that never reach puberty. A company wants to alter farm animals by adding and subtracting genetic traits in a lab. It sounds like science fiction, but Recombinetics sees opportunity for its technology in the livestock industry. But first, it needs to convince regulators that gene-edited animals are no different than conventionally bred ones. To make the technology appealing and to ease any fears that it may be creating Franken-animals, Recombinetics isn’t starting with productivity. Instead, it’s introducing gene-edited traits as a way to ease animal suffering. “It’s a better story to tell,” said Tammy Lee, CEO of the Minnesota-based company. For instance, animal welfare advocates have long criticized the way farmers use caustic paste or hot irons to dehorn dairy cows so the animals don’t harm each other. Recombinetics snips out the gene for growing horns so the procedure is unnecessary. Last year, a bull gene-edited by Recombinetics to have the dominant hornless trait sired several offspring. All were born hornless as expected, and are being raised at the University of California, Davis. Once the female offspring starts lactating, its milk will be tested for any abnormalities. Another Recombinetics project: castration-free pigs. When male piglets go through puberty, their meat can take on an unpleasant odour, something known as “boar taint.” To combat it, farmers castrate pigs, a procedure advocates say is commonly performed without painkillers. Editing genes so that pigs never go through puberty would make castration unnecessary. Also in development are dairy cows that could withstand higher temperatures, so the animals don’t suffer in hotter climates. Recombinetics and others say gene-editing techniques do what traditional breeding has always done, except much faster and with the precision of “molecular scissors.” Before food from gene-edited animals can land on dinner tables, however, Recombinetics has to overcome any public unease about the technology. Beyond worries about “playing God,” it may be an uncomfortable reminder of how modern food production already treats animals, said Paul Thompson, a professor of agricultural ethics at Michigan State University. “There’s an ethical question that’s been debated for at least the last 20 years of whether you need to change the animal or change the system.” Support for gene editing will also likely depend on how the technology is used: whether it’s for animal welfare, productivity or disease resistance. Advances in traditional breeding have already stepped up the productivity of cows, chickens and pigs. Today, milk producers can shop for characteristics developed through conventional breeding, like body frames and how efficiently animals convert feed into meat. Semex, a Canadian seller of bull semen, offers already offers a “Robot Ready” option for cows “built for automation,” with teat lengths and temperaments bred for milking machines. The company is working with Recombinetics to develop the gene-edited hornless trait. Notably, hornless dairy cows also already exist. John Burket, who breeds hornless dairy cows in Pennsylvania, thinks the hornless trait could spread quickly if it was prioritized. Burket isn’t opposed to gene-editing, but he said he’s waiting to see if the technology delivers.