B.GBP.0015 - Evaluation of gene editing technologies for the red meat industry

Summary

The demand for animal protein is increasing globally. This is a result of several factors including, but not limited to, population growth, shifting of socio-economic positioning of a large population, and limited possibility for expansion of agricultural area. It is postulated that the broad adoption of reproductive and genetic biotechnologies could assist productivity improvements from on-farm operations to meat processing plants, with potential for reducing animal welfare concerns. This review focuses mainly on gene editing biotechnologies, including cloning, the current regulatory framework, potential benefit and risks to the red meat industry.

Objectives

1. executive summary
2. Review the current technology and possible future technologies that are and may be deployed for gene editing in cattle, sheep and goat.
3. Evaluate how gene editing and cloning sit within the regulatory framework in Australia and relevant trading partners (include possible outcomes of the review of the legislation and pros and cons of the options).
4. List and evaluate potential benefits by type (e.g. productivity, animal welfare, disease prevention). Benefits might include financial, welfare and environmental aspects.
5. recommend industry research priorities
6. List and evaluate risks (e.g. perceptions, increasing incidence of deleterious genes) to the red meat industry.
7. Evaluate potential local and international perceptions on the use of the technologies and potential market aversion (this may be potential aversion and balancing positive welfare solutions).
8. Comment the potential impact of related issues such as consumption of edited plants by livestock, inoculation of edited rumen organisms and use of edited pest species (e.g. to render them sterile).
9. List examples of potential disruptions to industry practices including breed societies, biological import regulation.
10. Prepare speaking notes covering the topics above including a PowerPoint slide set suitable for presentation to stakeholder audiences such as livestock producers.

Benefits to industry

There are opportunities for improvement across the whole food chain via applications of gene editing technologies. Areas of recognised opportunities include, but are not limited to, improvement of productivity (on and off-farm), animal welfare, disease prevention and for the use of gene editing during the development of other livestock products (e.g. livestock feed and supplements). It is highlighted some 'short-term'/realistic applications relevant to industry, in the sense that these are currently subject of active research. It is worth noting that world-wide genomics projects based on next-generation sequencing of whole-genome are delivering many causative targets that could be further explored using gene editing for livestock improvement.

Future research

There are vast possibilities offered by novel technologies such as gene editing to the livestock industry (Section 5). However, industry leaders, such as MLA, who want their stakeholders to have access to the best available technologies that increase productivity, competitiveness and maximise profitability have a difficult task.

Formulating appropriate strategies that encourage new opportunities with limited financial resources and few mechanisms geared to understand exactly what is required along the value chain is a challenge. In particular, biotechnologies have raised significant concerns amongst both producers, key markets and domestic consumers. As such, it is important that industry leaders consider the value chain dynamics and develop strategies that articulates the benefits along the entire value chain, provides transparency in decision making, addresses stakeholder concern and builds trust and trustworthiness of the industry as whole.

MLA has an opportunity to focus on industry-orientated priorities that have a greater likelihood of adoption and acceptance as well as providing leadership in providing the framework for value chain and market acceptance.