Sir Tony Blair wants gene editing in animals to be made legal in Britain as a ‘matter of urgency’.
He aparently believes it will help to prevent pandemics
According to a report by the Tony Blair Institute, allowing gene-editing in livestock could “cut farmer losses” from disease and reduce the transmission of diseases from animals to humans.
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The Telegraph reports: Gene editing – changing the DNA of an organism by altering its genetic code – can be used to make animals resistant to a certain virus, including bird flu.
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Gene editing of plants has been legal in England since a law was passed in 2023, but so far the secondary legislation needed to permit gene-edited animals outside of a laboratory environment has not gone through.
The report urged the Government to bring forward the legislation “as a matter of urgency”.
Sir Tony and Lord Hague, who also backed the report, wrote in a joint contribution to it: “Gene editing can help breed farm animals that are more resilient to viruses and prevent the spread of dangerous pathogens to humans.”
They added: “Five years ago, our country was caught unprepared by the Covid pandemic.
“It would be a tragedy if in so short a time span we forgot the lessons of that unfortunate period, and failed to do enough to ensure we are sufficiently prepared for the next one.
“Biosecurity is now an essential aspect of national security and growth.”
The new paper on biosecurity, published on Friday, said: “Gene-editing livestock can reduce zoonotic spillovers.”
The report added: “Experts have warned that this failure to proceed with implementation will damage the UK’s ability to reduce diseases in livestock, and risk losing gene-editing funding and talent to countries such as Brazil and the US where precision-bred livestock are legal.”