Document type: Pig Progress article
Author: Treena Hein
Preview: New gene editing developments could be moving the global pork industry closer to the end of pig castration. Especially in the European Union, this leads to an interesting discussion as gene editing is still not permitted. Will the possibility of 'solving' the boar taint issue change that? […]
Dr Björn Petersen and his colleagues at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (Federal Research Institute for Animal Health) in Germany has edited out a gene called SRY in pigs, a gene found on the Y (male) chromosome of all mammals and the main "genetic switch" for male gender development. [...] If no testes develop in pigs, no boar taint results.
[Petersen] explains that while all gene-edited organisms are currently considered genetically modified (GMO) in the European Union (EU) and not legal to commercially produce, gene-edited plants and animals are legal to produce in other jurisdictions. And while in his view the global pork industry is already very interested in gene-edited pigs, he thinks consumer acceptance for gene editing can best be achieved by showing how it solves a serious environmental or animal welfare problem, like castration.
