Abstract

Recent advances in the genetic manipulation of animals have raised some familiar and some less familiar ethical issues. The obligation to safeguard the welfare of animals must be extended to include the production of transgenic animals, to ensure that the well-being of such "products" takes precedence over profitability. Human welfare must also be safeguarded especially in relation to the equitable distribution of the benefits from genetic engineering and the protection of the environment. The change in the relationship between human and non-human animals, exemplified in the patenting of genetically modified animals, has serious implications for the integrity of animal science.

E, Payne, JF Smith, AJ Peterson, LT McGowan, BC Cope, and R McLaughlin

Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production, Volume 50, , 149-154, 1990