内容摘要："Neither seems to be the case of the present cull on the Langholm goats," she said.

"Neither seems to be the case of the present cull on the Langholm goats," she said.

Dr Peter Stevenson, who is the chief policy advisor to UK-based Compassion in World Farming (CIWF), also fears that the technology will further add to the intensification of animal farming - with negative consequences.“The use of selective breeding over the past 50 years has brought a huge number of animal welfare problems,” he says.

“Chickens have been bred to grow so quickly that their legs and hearts can’t properly support the rapidly developing body and as a result millions of animals are suffering from painful leg disorders, while others succumb to heart disease.“Do we really want to accelerate this process with gene editing?”CIWF’s biggest fear is that gene-editing animals to make them more resistant to diseases will mean that the industry will not be motivated to deal with the conditions that lead to the animals getting ill in the first place - such as crowded, unsanitary conditions.

The intensity of the production of milk, meat, and eggs currently leaves many animals “exhausted and broken”, Mr Stevenson told BBC News.Any genetic alteration to an animal has the potential to have negative effects. But advocates say that for any commercial application, firms have to demonstrate to the regulator that their changes do not harm the animal and back this up with data.

Indeed, many of those who argue for the use of gene-editing technology do so partly on animal welfare grounds - because it could make farm animals more resistant to disease and, since fewer would die as a result, fewer would be needed in the first place.

Another of the letter’s signatories is Prof Helen Sang, who has laid the foundations for using gene editing to develop bird flu resistance in chickens."We know conservation is full of tough choices, and this one wasn't made lightly," they said.

"We took expert advice, explored all options, and ultimately, this is the step we need to take to bring long-term benefits to the landscape."At the same time, we're making sure that nothing goes to waste—ensuring the goat meat enters the food chain in a responsible way."

A Scottish government spokesman said: "No changes to the law are considered required at the moment."Anyone undertaking hunting in Scotland should be aware of their responsibilities under the law and best practice guides that already exist."