Broadening the ethical debate on breeding innovations, public engagement and the role of the Democs Game

Abstract

As genomic selection becomes increasingly important in livestock breeding, it also entails ethical and societal issues, and we are examining these as part of the BovReg project, funded by the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Union, on advanced cattle genomics. We argue that discussion of these issues must have broad scope, in at least three respects. Firstly, it should go beyond risk and animal welfare. Secondly, it should consider not only what is novel but assess also existing ethical issues in the light of genomic innovations. Lastly, because issues of animal production are of interest to European society, public engagement is an essential element for responsible innovation. To stimulate debate on genomic selection, we have created a Democs card game to engage with general publics and stakeholders. The game explains the context of current production and selection in cattle, examines ethical and social issues raised by breeding techniques, and invites players to form their own views.