<p>Picture this: You’re biting into a chicken sandwich, unaware that the meat came from birds pumped with antibiotics to ward off disease. Now imagine a world where that chicken never needed those drugs – because its genes were edited to resist infections like Salmonella. This isn’t science fiction. Tools like CRISPR, a revolutionary gene-editing technology, could make disease-resistant livestock a reality. But as our planet battles shrinking farmland, exploding populations, and terrifying disease outbreaks, the question isn’t just can we edit animals – it’s should we?</p>.<p>The stakes confronting our food systems are unprecedented. By 2050, the global demand for meat, milk, and eggs is projected to surge by 50-70% as the population nears 10 billion. Yet agricultural land is vanishing at alarming rates – urbanisation, soil degradation, and climate change have erased over 100 million hectares of farmland in the last two decades alone. Compounding this crisis, virulent livestock diseases like avian influenza, which led to the culling of 140 million poultry globally in 2020-2023, lumpy skin disease, which devastated 2 million cattle in India and Pakistan in 2022, and foot-and-mouth disease, costing the global economy up to $21 billion annually, are decimating herds and flocks.</p>.<p>To meet demand, farmers increasingly rely on antibiotics, not only to treat infections but to promote rapid growth – a practice responsible for 73% of global antibiotic use. The consequences ripple through ecosystems and dinner plates alike. Residues of these drugs accumulate in meat, milk, and eggs, while up to 90% of administered antibiotics are excreted into soil and water, fostering reservoirs of resistance. Here, bacteria swap resistance genes through horizontal gene transfer – creating “superbugs” that render antibiotics ineffective.</p>.<p>The implications for human health are dire. A 2023 WHO report warns that drug-resistant infections already claim 1.27 million lives yearly – a toll poised to skyrocket. Even minor wounds or common infections which were once easily cured, may soon have no effective treatments. This growing threat is quietly spreading through our food system.</p>.<p>Veterinarians, public health experts, government officials, and scientists are racing to address this crisis. Stricter regulations on antibiotic use in farming aim to curb misuse. New vaccines and global awareness campaigns promote alternatives. Yet progress remains sluggish. Why? Economic incentives often overshadow safety. In countries like the US, nearly two-thirds of antibiotics are still used on healthy animals to prevent disease or accelerate growth. Meanwhile, antibiotic-resistant bacteria – now found in 40% of global livestock – leach into soil, water systems, and air. This is not an isolated threat. Studies show that imported meat or dairy products can harbour resistant pathogens like Salmonella and E.coli, turning grocery store shelves into unwitting conduits for superbugs from distant farms.</p>.<p>Innovate with caution</p>.<p>Enter gene editing – a breakthrough tool like CRISPR-Cas9, often dubbed “genetic scissors” for its ability to precisely rewrite DNA. Scientists are harnessing this technology to engineer livestock with enhanced disease resistance, targeting vulnerabilities in pathogens that antibiotics struggle to combat. For instance, scientists have edited chickens to resist Salmonella – a pathogen responsible for 1 in 4 food-borne illness outbreaks in humans. Similarly, researchers are introducing genes that encode antimicrobial proteins to combat bovine mastitis, a painful udder infection affecting 1 in 5 dairy cows and accounting for 70% of antibiotic use on farms. The benefits cascade: healthier animals, cleaner food, and fewer drugs polluting our environment.</p>.<p>But this promise has important limitations. Could gene editing accidentally make animals more vulnerable to other diseases? Might altered DNA spread to wild populations, disrupting ecosystems? And will viruses like bird flu adapt to overcome these genetic protections? Public skepticism remains strong too – many distrust ‘GMO livestock,’ worried big corporations might control the technology. Will family farms be able to afford these advances, or will agribusiness giants dominate? And how should we label these products so consumers can make informed choices?</p>.<p>Gene editing isn’t a silver bullet. It’s a tool – one that works best alongside old-school wisdom. Cleaner barns, stress-free grazing, and eco-friendly feeds matter just as much. Before charging ahead, we need rigorous safety protocols to track unintended consequences, equitable policies like public funding for small farms or open-source genetic tools, and honest labelling to empower consumer choice.</p>.<p>By 2050, feeding 10 billion people on an overheated planet will demand innovation, but also humility. The real question isn’t whether we can rewrite nature’s code – it’s whether we can do it without repeating the mistakes of industrial farming. The answer lies not in labs or boardrooms, but in conversations like this one. What future do you want on your plate?</p>.<p>(The writer is a research scholar at ICAR-NDRI, Bengaluru)</p>
<p>Picture this: You’re biting into a chicken sandwich, unaware that the meat came from birds pumped with antibiotics to ward off disease. Now imagine a world where that chicken never needed those drugs – because its genes were edited to resist infections like Salmonella. This isn’t science fiction. Tools like CRISPR, a revolutionary gene-editing technology, could make disease-resistant livestock a reality. But as our planet battles shrinking farmland, exploding populations, and terrifying disease outbreaks, the question isn’t just can we edit animals – it’s should we?</p>.<p>The stakes confronting our food systems are unprecedented. By 2050, the global demand for meat, milk, and eggs is projected to surge by 50-70% as the population nears 10 billion. Yet agricultural land is vanishing at alarming rates – urbanisation, soil degradation, and climate change have erased over 100 million hectares of farmland in the last two decades alone. Compounding this crisis, virulent livestock diseases like avian influenza, which led to the culling of 140 million poultry globally in 2020-2023, lumpy skin disease, which devastated 2 million cattle in India and Pakistan in 2022, and foot-and-mouth disease, costing the global economy up to $21 billion annually, are decimating herds and flocks.</p>.<p>To meet demand, farmers increasingly rely on antibiotics, not only to treat infections but to promote rapid growth – a practice responsible for 73% of global antibiotic use. The consequences ripple through ecosystems and dinner plates alike. Residues of these drugs accumulate in meat, milk, and eggs, while up to 90% of administered antibiotics are excreted into soil and water, fostering reservoirs of resistance. Here, bacteria swap resistance genes through horizontal gene transfer – creating “superbugs” that render antibiotics ineffective.</p>.<p>The implications for human health are dire. A 2023 WHO report warns that drug-resistant infections already claim 1.27 million lives yearly – a toll poised to skyrocket. Even minor wounds or common infections which were once easily cured, may soon have no effective treatments. This growing threat is quietly spreading through our food system.</p>.<p>Veterinarians, public health experts, government officials, and scientists are racing to address this crisis. Stricter regulations on antibiotic use in farming aim to curb misuse. New vaccines and global awareness campaigns promote alternatives. Yet progress remains sluggish. Why? Economic incentives often overshadow safety. In countries like the US, nearly two-thirds of antibiotics are still used on healthy animals to prevent disease or accelerate growth. Meanwhile, antibiotic-resistant bacteria – now found in 40% of global livestock – leach into soil, water systems, and air. This is not an isolated threat. Studies show that imported meat or dairy products can harbour resistant pathogens like Salmonella and E.coli, turning grocery store shelves into unwitting conduits for superbugs from distant farms.</p>.<p>Innovate with caution</p>.<p>Enter gene editing – a breakthrough tool like CRISPR-Cas9, often dubbed “genetic scissors” for its ability to precisely rewrite DNA. Scientists are harnessing this technology to engineer livestock with enhanced disease resistance, targeting vulnerabilities in pathogens that antibiotics struggle to combat. For instance, scientists have edited chickens to resist Salmonella – a pathogen responsible for 1 in 4 food-borne illness outbreaks in humans. Similarly, researchers are introducing genes that encode antimicrobial proteins to combat bovine mastitis, a painful udder infection affecting 1 in 5 dairy cows and accounting for 70% of antibiotic use on farms. The benefits cascade: healthier animals, cleaner food, and fewer drugs polluting our environment.</p>.<p>But this promise has important limitations. Could gene editing accidentally make animals more vulnerable to other diseases? Might altered DNA spread to wild populations, disrupting ecosystems? And will viruses like bird flu adapt to overcome these genetic protections? Public skepticism remains strong too – many distrust ‘GMO livestock,’ worried big corporations might control the technology. Will family farms be able to afford these advances, or will agribusiness giants dominate? And how should we label these products so consumers can make informed choices?</p>.<p>Gene editing isn’t a silver bullet. It’s a tool – one that works best alongside old-school wisdom. Cleaner barns, stress-free grazing, and eco-friendly feeds matter just as much. Before charging ahead, we need rigorous safety protocols to track unintended consequences, equitable policies like public funding for small farms or open-source genetic tools, and honest labelling to empower consumer choice.</p>.<p>By 2050, feeding 10 billion people on an overheated planet will demand innovation, but also humility. The real question isn’t whether we can rewrite nature’s code – it’s whether we can do it without repeating the mistakes of industrial farming. The answer lies not in labs or boardrooms, but in conversations like this one. What future do you want on your plate?</p>.<p>(The writer is a research scholar at ICAR-NDRI, Bengaluru)</p>
