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Mike Paustian<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a PRRS break earlier this year,\u201d says Mike Paustian. \u201cYou try to manage it, to mitigate how bad it will be, but our current tools to manage it are not that great.\u201d<\/p>\n
If ever there was a moment where the realities of pig farming and the science of gene editing came together, it was this moment on Paustian\u2019s farrow-to-finish farm in eastern Iowa. Not just because he experienced a PRRS outbreak, but also because, before coming back to the family farm 17 years ago, he worked as a microbiologist at the National Animal Disease Center and had been following the development of gene-edited PRRS-resistant pigs.<\/p>\n
Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, or PRRS, is endemic to pig herds around the world and it costs farmers both financially and emotionally.<\/p>\n
\u201cI first heard about the underlying technology, CRISPR, when I was in grad school,\u201d says Paustian. \u201cI\u2019ve been following gene editing technology for a long time and thought it was interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
When PIC announced the development of its gene-edited PRRS-resistant pig, Paustian was listening.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was very excited,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019ve seen many, many times how a new advancement in the lab doesn\u2019t always pan out in the field.\u201d When he heard that PIC planned to commercialize the PRRS-resistant pig, he was cautiously optimistic.<\/p>\n
A pig that works for everyone<\/p>\n
Paustian agrees that PRRS needs a better solution. \u201cFor most farmers, it\u2019s the number one boogeyman,\u201d he says, adding that the disease always manages to get around existing management tools, from vaccines to biosecurity measures to diet management and more. \u201cOther than finding a place to farm where there are no pigs in a 100-mile radius, PRRS is always going to be a threat.\u201d<\/p>\n
The gene-edited PRRS-resistant pig could change all that. \u201cProducers talk about eliminating PRRS with the tools we have now,\u201d says Paustian.<\/p>\n
But elimination of PRRS may be a pipe dream, given the tenacity of the virus, its ability to rapidly mutate and replicate itself in unpredictable ways. \u201cWith this new tool, maybe we can actually do it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
Producer benefit is just part of the picture, he adds. Paustian feels that mistakes were made when GMO technology was first introduced \u2013 that the focus was too much on how it would help crop producers and not enough on what it meant for consumers.It led to distrust that the crop industry feels to this day.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the big challenges in bringing this to market is explaining how gene editing technology is different from traditional GMOs,\u201d says Paustian. \u201cConsumers are making an emotional decision when they buy food.\u201d When Paustian talks to other producers, he reminds them that to gain acceptance, the industry must emphasize the benefits of gene editing for consumers, not just for the industry.<\/p>\n
Ultimately, it\u2019s about aligning values between producers and consumers. Paustian says producers \u2013 indeed the entire pork industry \u2013 need to understand what matters to consumers if they want to put gene-edited pigs in their barns.<\/p>\n
And while that\u2019s not always as straightforward as it might seem (for instance, consumers say antibiotic use is important, but cost is still their number one purchase driver), just talking about the science is not enough. \u201cPeople don\u2019t care what you know until they know that you care,\u201d he says. \u201cThey need to know you share their values.\u201d<\/p>\n
Future hopes for gene editing<\/p>\n
Paustian believes there\u2019s a lot riding on the introduction of PRRS-resistant pigs. \u201cAcceptance of this technology is going to be an indicator for future gene-edited products,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hope is that this technology would allow us to accelerate the breeding process,\u201d he says. \u201cIf we know what gene is responsible for a trait, we could accomplish what traditional breeding does, but faster.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to PRRS, he\u2019d love to see gene editing tackle rotavirus. \u201cEvery time we test, we\u2019ll find at least one strain,\u201d says Paustian. \u201cWe\u2019ve tried everything from vaccines to biosecurity, but it is a scourge of the post-weaning phase.<\/p>\n
\u201cMeat quality is another thing I think about,\u201d he says. For decades, the market has focused on lean meat almost to the exclusion of anything else. But tastes are changing and that means producers need to make some changes to herd genetics, which can be slow. \u201cProducers are paid on efficiency and growth, but consumers buy on taste,\u201d says Paustian. \u201cIf we could identify the right indicators for meat quality, that would be helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n
He knows these are more far more complex targets for gene editing to solve for than PRRS was. But his point remains that how the PRRS-resistant pig is accepted by the industry and consumers will lay the groundwork for future uses of this important technology.<\/p>\n
For now, commercialization of the PRRS-resistant pig holds vast promise for Paustian.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m hopeful the PRRS-resistant pig is going to come to market,\u201d says Paustian. Breeding cycles mean introduction will be measured and slow, but he hopes for a time when, if enough producers adopt the technology, the PRRS virus might even stop circulating altogether.<\/p>\n