Last year Basis Social completed a public dialogue on the topic of genome editing of farmed animals commissioned by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics. The work, involving 41 members of the public, highlighted the importance of looking at genome editing not just in terms of its’ safety as a new technology but in terms of how it might be used and to what ends. Goals of increasing animal welfare and creating opportunities for more agro-ecological forms of farming animals were welcomed. Where applications were more for the explicit gains of human beings (e.g. increasing supply of meat or maintaining affordability), people were much less convinced.

We are delighted to have been appointed to run a much larger dialogue to build out from this previous work, focusing into those areas where genome editing might be applied, to understand what the public see as beneficial, and to whom. Importantly this will look at what some of the approaches to regulation and governance might be, and what safeguards the public feel should be in place should this technology start to be applied within our farming systems.

The work is being commissioned by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC – part of UK Research and Innovation, UKRI) and the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, with the support of UKRI’s Sciencewise programme. The project will be completed in August, with findings publicised in the Autumn.