25/May/22

 

A concept patent has been filed for a method that includes the use of CRISPR/Cas gene editing to generate transgenic birds so that no male offspring are able to hatch. Israeli scientists are proposing this method to be used in chickens, so that only female chicks will hatch, which will then go on to become laying hens for egg production. Currently male chicks are killed when young as they are of no use to the egg or chicken meat industries. The transgenic CRISPR-edited chickens are being hyped as a boon for animal welfare, on the grounds (in the BBC’s words) that the technology could “prevent the slaughter of millions of male chickens... which are culled because they don't lay eggs”. But our investigation shows that such claims are disingenuous in the extreme. In fact, the technology forces mother hens to pass on a lethality (killer) gene, which is intended to kill all male embryos before they hatch from the egg. This could result in health problems for the hens and the escape of dangerous toxic lethality genes into the environment. GMWatch

 

 

The UK’s biggest supermarkets have reacted coolly to the idea of selling GM gene-edited food, with none willing to publicly say it will stock the new products despite an upcoming law change enabling the products to be sold in the country for the first time. Today the UK government will begin the passage of a bill to allow gene-edited products to be treated differently to other GMOs, with environment minister George Eustice saying food from gene-edited crops could be in shops next year. But when New Scientist contacted 11 of the UK’s biggest supermarkets to ask if they would stock gene-edited food after the bill becomes law, none responded to confirm it would embrace the products. Waitrose was the only one to offer a position on gene-edited food, saying: “We currently have no plans to use this technology.” Andrew Opie at the British Retail Consortium initially responded to inquiries about the industry’s position on selling gene-edited food by saying there are merits to exploring the technology and it was supportive of the technology. Less than an hour later, the group issued a revised statement that suggested public support would be key to commercial uptake. New Scientist

 

 

The Scottish government is being asked to consider allowing gene-edited crops to be grown in Scotland. UK cabinet minister George Eustice wants his plans to allow gene-edited crops to be grown in England to be extended to both Scotland and Wales. Eustice has written to the Scottish and Welsh governments to urge them to reconsider their opposition to the technique. But the Scottish government remained cautious about the move. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "The government wants to make sure we operate to the highest environmental standards and that we protect the formidable strengths in Scottish agriculture that exist today, have been stewarded for so many years, and we want to maintain for the future." The Scottish government said its policy was to stay aligned with the EU, where practicable, and that it was closely monitoring the EU's position on the issue. It also objected to how the UK's internal market act would give any gene-edited crops approved for sale in England automatic access to the Scottish market. It said: "The Scottish government remains wholly opposed to the imposition of the Act and will not accept any constraint on the exercise of devolved powers. We will continue to engage with Defra, Wales, and Northern Ireland to ensure that devolved competence are respected." The Welsh government has said it has no plans to ease restrictions. BBC News

 

 

A gene-editing experiment on hamsters turned the docile creatures into aggressive bullies, leaving a team of researchers "really surprised". Using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool, scientists "knocked out a receptor of vasopressin", a hormone largely associated with aggression. The scientists thought that this genetic tweak would make hamsters more social and peaceful. But in a surprising turn of events, they became more aggressive. "We were really surprised at the results," said the study's lead author, H. Elliott Albers. "We anticipated that if we eliminated vasopressin activity, we would reduce both aggression and social communication... But the opposite happened." India Times

 

 

An Indian firm contracted to supply GM cotton seed to Kenyan farmers has stopped distribution of the planting material, dealing a blow to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s manufacturing agenda. Agriculture Cabinet secretary Peter Munya said the Indian-based conglomerate Mahyco – the sole maker and distributor of the seed worldwide, has had running problems with supplying the product to local farmers. Rajeev Arora, Mahyco Africa regional manager, said “I have no comment on this.” Business Daily