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Should we breed cows without horns? Are free-range chickens actually good for the environment? When it comes to ethical issues – especially food-related ones – there are no simple yes or no answers.

This became abundantly clear to alumnus and Associate Professor Franck Meijboom over the course of his research on livestock gene editing.

In addition to expressing our individual preferences, our dietary choices have a social, ethical and ecological impact. One thing is abundantly clear, as Meijboom explains: integrated collaboration will be crucial in future if we aim to produce enough food without harming the environment. No one-issue debates. 'If you exclusively focus on animal rights, you may lose sight of the food safety and environmental aspects. Making sure we take all those aspects into account is the most important ethical issue when it comes to food, alongside distribution and waste. In other words, how can we ensure more sustainable and animal-friendly production methods while respecting individual freedom of choice?

High standards

The latter issue is proving especially difficult to navigate. After all, the individual freedom to eat what we want is rooted in both society and other existing traditions. For example, vegans and vegetarians are generally outspoken about their preferences, while many other Dutch citizens are eager to get their barbecues out on the first day of summer. That diversity is valuable, Meijboom explains. 'The things we eat and the way we eat them reflect our personalities. However, we didn't always have this much freedom of choice. Fish used to be a staple food for people who lived near seas or rivers. Those that lived further from the water simply didn't have that much access. These days, you can buy anything you want.' However, western consumers are becoming increasingly discerning. 'Now that we no longer have to worry about food security, we are free to focus on food quality. We have high standards when it comes to food, and these standards are not limited to safety aspects. They also concern the parts of the animal we do and don't eat; here in the Netherlands, we'd rather throw a pig's snout in the rubbish bin than eat it.'

It is ethical to combine pig and spinach genes?

Careful cross-breeding

Our discerning views on food are also reflected in our approach to cross-breeding and genetic modification, Meijboom points out. 'Our chickens would be a good case in point. They've been cross-bred to grow large breasts, which is the kind of meat we like eating most. However, we haven't really given much thought to the resulting effects on animal welfare. These questions are more pressing when it comes to genetic modification: is it really ethically and socially responsible to combine spinach and pig genes?'

Conversely, 'playing with genes' can also be beneficial to animal welfare. For example, gene editing – the process of modifying animal genes – allows us to breed hornless cows, eliminating the need for dehorning (and thus a great deal of animal suffering). This example was drawn from Meijboom's own research, which focuses on the responsible modification of animal genes. Meijboom: 'We're working with Wageningen ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ & Research to assess whether (and, if so, under which conditions) gene editing can be socially embedded in a responsible and acceptable manner. It's a tricky debate, all the more because gene editing is far more accurate than existing breeding methods. At the same time, it raises ethical questions that never have a purely 'yes' or 'no' answer.

Collaboration as the most important ingredient

Amongst other goals, the project aims to develop an assessment framework to help us discuss and evaluate the targeted modification of animal genes. The does not relate to the assessment of a single case or procedure. The future of livestock farming and technology's impact on our farmers will also have to be examined. In addition to breeding farms, the assessment framework must therefore also factor in the interests of NGOs, farmers and government authorities. In other words, integrated collaboration is set to be the most important ingredient of our future food.

Dr Franck L.B. Meijboom studied theology and ethics at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ and the ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ of Aberdeen (United Kingdom). He serves as associate professor at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and works at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ's Ethics Institute.

This article appeared in alumni magazine Illuster.