AFTER DOLLY ETHICAL LIMITS TO THE USE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY ON FARM ANIMALS

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AFTER DOLLY- ETHICAL LIMITS TO THE USE OF
BIOTECHNOLOGY ON FARM ANIMALS

• Jesper Lassen, Mickey Gjerris Peter Sandøe
• Centre for Bioethics and Risk Assessment
• Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University
• www.bioethics.kvl.dk

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OUTLINE

• New limits to the interference with life?
• How do we know what is acceptable?
• What are the concerns of the public?
• What will be considered ethically acceptable?

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NEW LIMITS TO THE INTERFERENCE WITH LIFE?
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NEW LIMITS TO THE INTERFERENCE WITH LIFE? (1/2)

• During the last century scientists have made
  genuine progress in explaining and usefully
  modifying the processes of life
• Until recently, the main limits to interference
  with life were of a technical kind what is it
  possible to do?
• Increasingly scientists and industry are faced
  with ethical limits what is it acceptable to do?

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NEW LIMITS TO THE INTERFERENCE WITH LIFE? (2/2)

• Breeding has changed domestic animals over
  thousands of years
• However, genetic changes were poorly understood
  until recently
• Modern genetics, scientific breeding schemes and
  others forms af biotechnology have increased our
  control
• With greater control comes greater responsibility

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HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT IS ETHICALLY ACCEPTABLE?
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HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT IS ETHICALLY ACCEPTABLE?

• Each person will have decide for herself what she
  finds ethically acceptable
• The same is of course true for people involved in
  research and development regarding animal
  biotechnology
• However, there is also need for public opinion
  formation
• Thus there is need for an ethical basis for
  regulation of animal biotechnology
• A good starting point is here to look a public
  perception

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WHAT ARE THE CONCERNS OF THE PUBLIC?
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EUROPEAN ATTITUDES TO BIOTECHNOLOGY

• Since 1991 the Eurobarometer surveys have
  examined the attitudes of the European public
• In general the surveys show that members of the
  European public
• Differentiate between medical and agricultural
  applications
• Do not become more positive towards biotechnology
  the more they know about it
• Have in general become slightly more positive
  towards biotechnology 1991-2002
• Are most sceptical towards biotechnology when it
  is applied to animals or food-production

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SHOULD BIOTECHNOLOGY BE ENCOURAGED?
Eurobarometer 1996 Mean score in the EU Range
from - 2 to 2
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PERCEPTION BY EUROPEAN PUBLIC
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A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN DENMARK

• 7 focus group interviews, spring 2000
• 5-7 participants in each group, 2-2½ hrs
• Criteria
• Sex, age, occupation, income etc
• Expected attitude
• Copenhagen (2), Albertslund, Maribo, Ørum
  (Tjele), Vodskov, Aalborg
• Three themes food non food and involved actors
• Main issues usefulness, risk, animal welfare

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ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST BIOTECHNOLOGY
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USEFULNESS

• () I dont know an awful lot about obesity,
  but I think you should use every means in your
  power first eat some vegetables and take some
  long walks. To me its a bit pointless spending a
  lot of time and money on such things. I am very
  much against at least if obesity is
  self-inflicted, caused by overeating and doing
  too little. Taking some pills to be helped!? I
  would prefer some proper treatment!

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RISK (1)

• When you use genetic manipulation you move from
  the starting point to the final product in one
  move, fiddling with the genes you want to change.
  When you use traditional breeding you have to do
  it at the speed of nature and allow nature to
  produce whatever it wants to produce. Nature will
  make sure you are stopped in time, not acting
  against nature. Gene technology wouldnt be
  stopped!

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RISK (2)

• the problem is that you cant kill it! Right
  now we have this issue about mad cows, caused by
  a twisted gene in a protein. Nobody knows why it
  is there. They havent worked it out! But even if
  you kill all the animals and burn them even if
  you heat it up, its still there! Thats why I
  think its hard to get at if you make a mistake.

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ANIMAL WELFARE

• Its hard enough for the cows already, I dont
  think we should exploit them further. I have an
  image of these cows standing on the fields,
  hardly able to walk because they drag around with
  large udders. That cant be funny.

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CONCLUSIONS FROM DANISH STUDY

• Medical applications were perceived as more
  acceptable than food related applications
• Nobody was fundamentally against all medical
  applications of gene technology
• Negative arguments were dominant when food
  biotechnology was discussed

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ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST BIOTECHNOLOGY
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WHAT WILL BE CONSIDERED ETHICALLY ACCEPTABLE?
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THREE GROUPS OF CONCERNS

• Concern for animals
• Animal welfare
• Animal integrity
• Concern for environment/nature
• Biodiversity
• Concerns for humans
• Biosafety
• Slippery slope concerns
• Need for nature

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BROILER BREEDING
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BROILER BREEDING
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FEATHERLESS CHICKEN
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BLIND HENS
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BRINGING IN SCIENTIFIC UNCERTAINTY
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BRINGING IN SCIENTIFIC UNCERTAINTY

• Some of the consequences for animal welfare of
  biotechnology can be foreseen
• However, many consequences are unforeseen and
  researchers clearly tend to be much too
  optimistic
• A good example is cloning
• Following a cautious policy may be a good thing
  from the point of view of animal welfare
• A call for animal integrity may be seen as a way
  of expressing a precautionary approach

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THREE GROUPS OF CONCERNS

• Concern for animals
• Animal welfare
• Animal integrity
• Concern for environment/nature
• Biodiversity
• Concerns for humans
• Biosafety
• Slippery slope concerns
• Need for nature

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WHAT WILL BE CONSIDERED ETHICALLY ACCEPTABLE?

• The debate must allow all concerns to be heard
  and discussed
• Given the widely shared sceptical views presented
  in this talk it will only be considered
  acceptable to use animal biotechnology if
  important benefits are at stake
• Generally one should expect narrow limits
  regarding applications within animal production
• More wide limits regarding the use of farm animal
  species in biomedical research

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STATEMENT ON ANIMAL CLONINGby Danish Animal
Ethics Council

• Cloning as part of biomedical research
• OK on certain conditions
• Cloning of farm animals
• Not OK if only done to enhance productivity
• Cloning of pets
• Wrong solution to a psychological problem
• Cloning of nearly extinct species of animals
• Will often not solve the real problem

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CONCLUSION

• Scientists and industry are faced with ethical
  concerns
• Need to understand and engage in a dialogue with
  a wider public
• Concerns to be discussed include Risk to human
  health, Animal welfare, Animal integrity
• Also need to discuss scientific uncertainty
• In a European context to be allowed to use
  biotechnology on farm animals one will have to
  demonstrate genuine benefits
• Better prospects for biomedical than for
  agricultural applications