GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ANIMALS From Lab to Factory Farm Gene-edited farm animals, including cows, sheep, pigs and chicken are in the development pipeline. Executive Summary regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR, are not as precise or predictable as In the face of environmental degradation and initially thought, and can result in unintended biodiversity loss from industrial agriculture, it is physical and genetic mutations that may be critical to transition to sustainable and ecological inhumane, risky for the health of animals and farming systems.1 But a new wave of research on consumers and environmentally unsustainable. genetically engineered animals is leading us in Gene editing techniques may be subject to little the opposite direction — by designing animals to no regulatory oversight or safety assessment. to better fit within industrial systems rather than addressing the underlying health, animal welfare This report provides insight on health, and environmental problems associated with environmental, ethical and consumer concerns these systems.2 A growing body of scientific raised by the proliferation of research on evidence is finding that genetically engineered genetically engineered animals. We highlight animals may present even more food safety, potential risks related to gene editing environmental and animal welfare issues for an applications in livestock agriculture as reported already problematic industrial animal farming in peer-reviewed scientific studies. We system. emphasize gaps in research and data analysis about how unintended genetic errors resulting The AquAdvantage salmon was the first from gene editing may impact animal welfare, genetically engineered animal approved for human health and the environment. We also human consumption. Since its approval in 2015, raise questions about whether gene-edited concerns about engineering animals have only livestock are necessary, and what a more deepened. Emerging scientific literature reveals sustainable, ethical and healthy path for our food that genetic engineering techniques, including system could look like. new gene editing techniques like clustered 1 Friends of the Earth • Genetically Engineered Animals: From Lab to Factory Farm GMOs — organisms might evolve to be resistant to gene drives,7 and the technology could give rise to off-target effects, which may have severe health, welfare and ecological implications for animals or ecosystems.8 Feeding the nearly 10 billion animals raised annually in U.S. factory farms requires a staggering amount of land, genetically engineered seed and toxic pesticides, fertilizer, fuel and water.9 Industrial animal agriculture is The impetus of genetic engineering is to design animals that a leading cause of climate change, accounting survive better in factory farms. for 16.5 percent of global greenhouse gas Engineering Animals for Factory Farms emissions.10 Raising billions of animals in confinement also generates massive amounts of The multitude of problems associated with noxious manure that pollute our air and water — factory farming are unlikely to be addressed and especially in nearby communities. Routine use may be exacerbated by the use of genetically of antibiotics in animal agriculture that allow engineered farm animals in these systems. animals to survive the unsanitary conditions In response to the problems created by common in factory farms contributes to the rise concentrated animal feeding operations, or of antibiotic resistance, one of our most pressing CAFOs, and instigated by the availability of new public health problems. genetic engineering techniques such as CRISPR, researchers are developing a new generation of Image: lagriflanders/Flickr/cc genetically engineered farm animals. The goals of these experiments generally fall into three categories: increased yield (e.g., “super-muscly” animals), increased cost-effectiveness in raising animals (e.g., disease resistance) and changes in the composition of the milk, meat or eggs (e.g., nutrition). Examples of genetically engineered animals in development include “super-muscly” cows, sheep and pigs;3 pigs resistant to the respiratory 4 Gene-edited super-muscly animals will magnify welfare disease PRRSV; and gene-edited chickens concerns currently associated with conventionally bred engineered to potentially produce non-allergenic doubled-muscled animals. eggs.5 Some scientists argue that genetically Gene Editing and Unintended engineered animals, such as pigs engineered Consequences to resist certain diseases, can improve animal welfare, however, the impetus is to design Scientific studies have shown that the animals that will more easily survive in the genetic engineering of animals via gene cramped and filthy conditions common in editing techniques like CRISPR and other CAFOs. new technologies can create unintended consequences and potentially harmful effects Other research explores the potential of gene on animal health, from enlarged tongues to drives for farm animals, a genetic engineering induced tumors. Yet development of genetically technology being developed to drive a desired engineered animals is moving forward, funded trait though a herd or population. Although no by private companies or government grants, but gene drive system has yet been field tested or with little public awareness. deployed,6 studies suggest that — like previous impacts from genetically modified organisms, or Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute in the UK published a study in Nature 2 Genetically Engineered Animals: From Lab to Factory Farm • Friends of the Earth Biotechnology that found new genetic independent studies, one by the biotech engineering techniques like CRISPR may cause company Novartis and the other by the “genetic havoc” in cells. Researchers found Karolinska Institute, published in Nature large deletions and rearrangements of DNA Medicine in 2018 described that cells genetically near the target site that were not intended engineered with CRISPR “have the potential by researchers.11 Chinese scientists at Nanjing to seed tumors,” or may initiate tumorigenic Agricultural University found that gene editing mutations.19 There is further concern that resulted in rabbits having enlarged tongues. And gene editing for certain traits can perpetuate Dr. Kui Li, a scientist from the Chinese Academy problematic animal management practices. For of Agricultural Sciences, found some gene- example, a frequently-reported trait of gene- edited pigs had an extra spinal vertebra.12 edited animals is resistance to various diseases, These studies are just a few of the growing which could encourage keeping even larger body of science demonstrating that gene numbers of animals in the close confinement and editing techniques like CRISPR may not be unsanitary, inhumane conditions that perpetuate as “precise” in their outcomes as researchers disease in the first place. hope. For example, gene editing could cause Gutierrez/Reuters Image: Rodrigo genes not meant to be targeted to malfunction, and this could lead to health problems or other unintended outcomes in the genetically engineered animal.13 Food Safety Implications Animal genomes are complex. Any genetic errors created by altering DNA could disrupt how genes function. This could potentially produce altered or novel proteins, which in turn could impact food safety. Indeed, one scientific study by Kapahnke and others, published in Cell in Genetically engineered animals could exacerbate the problems 2016, used a laboratory culture of human cells of factory farms. and found an altered protein produced in error Environmental Implications from the gene editing process.14 Because food allergens are mostly proteins, unintentionally Industrial animal agriculture contributes altered proteins could have significant to significant levels of air, water and soil implications for food safety. contamination. It is also a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. There is an urgent Animal Health and Welfare Implications need to shift to models of animal farming that Genetic engineering of animals could magnify have inherently fewer environmental and health ethical and welfare concerns related to how impacts.20 However, instead of instigating this animals are bred and the conditions in which they shift, the advent of genetically engineered farm are raised.15 As part of the genetic engineering animals will likely further entrench the paradigm process, animals are often cloned.16 Cloning can of unsustainable, industrial agriculture and may lead to birth defects, spontaneous abortions exacerbate environmental problems associated and early postnatal death.17 Even if cloning is not with factory farms. In addition, genetically involved, the genetic engineering process raises engineered animals may raise concerns about welfare issues because the animals may suffer potential escape and crossbreeding with non- from genetic abnormalities that could cause genetically engineered animals. Animals like genes to malfunction and create subsequent pigs, goats, horses and rabbits may become health problems in the animal.18 feral when they escape from captivity,21 leading Health problems may arise in response to to wild populations of genetically engineered mutations at the cellular level as well. Two animals. 3 Friends of the Earth • Genetically Engineered Animals: From Lab to Factory Farm Consumer Rejection livestock farming systems. However, genetically Societal concerns such as animal welfare engineering animals will not address