Dialogue Dictates Public Opinion on Genome Editing

Genome editing can be utilised in farm breeding to ensure certain qualities are created in the animals, such as virus-resistance. It can work to solve some of the most pressing issues in food and farming, including animal health, environmental factors, and access to sufficient and safe food.
The administrations Genetic Technology Bill is set to “introduce simpler regulatory measures to enable these products to be authorised and brought to market more easily.”

In a discussion, contributors outlined how public input could add significant value to the policy-making process, therefore suggesting that a broader and more public dialogue should be opened to drive exploration and innovation in this field.

The conversation highlighted the following:
-The need for a better understanding of the purposes for which precision breeding might be used, detailing its impacts and wider consequences.
-Regulation as an essential component of genome editing which should target helping animal welfare.
-Questions regarding the lasting effects of genome editing in breeding on farms, with many interested in seeing how this will be taken into account for regulation.
-Instead of immediately choosing fresh technical solutions, policymakers should think about encouraging alternate strategies for tackling food and farming concerns.

Director of Nuffield Council on Bioethics, Danielle Hamm, commented that “with the Bill currently going through parliament, this is a crucial moment for policy makers to listen to the important public perspectives that have emerged during this dialogue. We trust that policy makers will engage with this dialogue to help shape regulatory pathways and direct the development of genome editing in agriculture towards ethically acceptable outcomes.”

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