If consumers embrace it, gene editing could cut livestock feed costs

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If the dairy industry did not have access to artificial insemination today, would it have consumer support to use it? On face value it may seem unlikely that such a beneficial practice could ever be questioned, but there is a strong lesson from 1945 when A.I. was being introduced into the United States when there was a common misconception that its use  would cause birth defects in calves.

… Whenever new technologies emerge, there … will always be some scaremongers raising doubts only to protect their patch.

…One of the new plant technologies that shows the most promise is Genome Editing (GE).

…GE could provide a quantum leap for our subtropical and tropical feed base by reducing the indigestible fibre portion of our plants.

…[This] gives dairy farmers the potential to reduce feed costs by up to 50 cents, per cow, per day. There also have been exciting developments around drought and frost resistance in wheat and canola that will potentially help protect dairy from crop failure and associated spikes in feed prices.

. …[W]e as an industry must continue to explain how dairying works. If we don’t, we risk getting caught up in the old saying – “a half-truth goes further and faster than a full one”.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: New technologies on the horizon for dairy

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