Animal welfare by genome editing? Animal ethical perspectives on genome editing in farm animals

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Johann S. Ach
• Subject Area: Practical Philosophy
• Term: from 2020 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 435139448

In the first half of 2018, 28.4 million pigs and 1.7 million cattle were slaughtered on commercial slaughterhouses in Germany. Not to mention lambs, sheep and goats as well as above all poultry. Most of these animals had a painful life before slaughter. The conditions under which meat, milk and eggs are produced today cause millions of livestock to systematically become ill and are associated with grave pain and suffering. Assuming that the demand for a complete renunciation of the use and consumption of livestock, which is raised by not a few animal ethicists, at least in the medium term will not prevail, the pressing question arises, how a more animal-friendly practice of livestock husbandry can look like.In this context, technical options for Animal Enhancement or Animal Disenhancement have been discussed for some years, which could be suitable for minimizing the negative consequences of livestock farming for the affected animals or - at least in part - completely avoiding them. The technical "improvement" of livestock thus could not only satisfy the human interest in larger product quantities and optimized product qualities, but also protect animals from suffering, burdens and impairments. This is especially true for the new genome editing techniques, which can make a - potentially significant - contribution to improving the welfare of farmed animals.Against this background, this research project aims to identify and critically assess animal welfare-relevant advantages of using the various methods of genome editing in animal breeding, taking into account relevant animal ethical arguments and positions. In this context, the "principle of conservation of welfare" (Rollin) will be subjected to a critical discussion, an alternative, "pragmatic" proposal will be developed and defended and the "problem of non-identity" with regard to the application of the various methods of genome editing in livestock breeding will be examined.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants