Agricultural applications of genome editing in farmed animals

Animal husbandry is believed to predate farming of crops, and remains a core component of most agricultural systems. Historic breeding strategies were based largely on visual observation, crossing animals that were perceived to display enhanced merit. Advances in sequencing capacity coupled with reduced costs have allowed genomic selection tools to deliver significant contribution to breeding regimes. The application of genome editors to make specific changes to livestock genomes has the potential to deliver additional benefits.