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With Genetic Resistance to PRRS, Pigs Raised with CRISPR Technology Get Green Light from FDA and Could Transform the Swine Industry in the Coming Years.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of genetically modified pigs for human consumption.
The announcement represents a breakthrough for the swine industry, especially in combating Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS), one of the most damaging diseases to the sector.
The animals were developed by the British company PIC, which used CRISPR gene editing technology to create a lineage of pigs resistant to the virus.
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New Technology for an Old Problem
PRRS is an age-old problem that affects pigs worldwide.
It compromises the reproductive and respiratory systems of the animals, potentially causing the death of piglets and infertility in breeders.
In the United States alone, the losses caused by the disease reach US$ 560 million per year.
To address this challenge, PIC employed CRISPR technology to remove a specific cell receptor that the virus uses to infect pigs.
The modification is made in early-stage embryos, which are then implanted in young females.
The result is a generation of animals resistant to PRRS, with the genetic trait being passed on to future lineages.
Approval Is Considered a Historical Milestone
Matt Culbertson, PIC’s operations director, celebrated the FDA’s decision. “We spent years conducting extensive research, validating our findings, and working with the FDA to obtain approval,” he said.
He highlighted that this approval is an “important milestone” for consumers, producers, and the entire swine supply chain, which has been seeking a solution to PRRS for years.
The FDA reviewed the safety data and concluded that the meat from these pigs does not differ in taste or health risk when compared to traditional pork.
This means that consumers will not notice visible changes in the final product.
Expected Effects on Production and the Environment
The expectation is that the genetically modified pigs from PIC will be resistant to almost all known variants of PRRS.
This could bring positive impacts for the industry, such as reduced use of antibiotics and improvements in animal welfare.
Banks Baker, global director of product sustainability, stated that combating PRRS could have significant environmental effects.
According to him, the presence of the virus increases antibiotic use by more than 200%.
A life cycle analysis of pigs, conducted according to ISO standards, indicated that the elimination of PRRS could reduce greenhouse gas emissions from pig farming in the U.S. by 5%.
Other Modified Animals Have Already Been Approved
This is not the first time genetically modified animals have received authorization for food use in the United States.
In 2020, the FDA approved GalSafe pigs, created by the company Revivicor.
These animals were modified to eliminate the alpha-gal sugar, which can cause allergies in humans and organ rejection in transplants.
Before that, the FDA also approved the consumption of genetically modified salmon. However, the regulatory process is often lengthy and companies face obstacles before getting their products to the commercial market.
Expected Arrival to Market by 2026
Even with the approval in the U.S., PIC’s pigs are not yet available for purchase. The expectation is that this will only happen starting in 2026.
In the meantime, PIC’s parent company, Genus, is working to obtain regulatory approvals in other strategic markets, such as Mexico, Canada, and Japan.
The simplicity of the method used by PIC, combined with its effectiveness against PRRS, could make these pigs the first genetically edited animals to be widely consumed.
For an industry searching for practical and sustainable solutions, this could be a point of no return.
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