The Ethics of Innovations in Genomic Selection: On How to Broaden the Scope of Discussion

The use of genomic selection in agricultural animal breeding is in academic literature generally considered an ethically unproblematic development, but some critical views have been offered. Our paper shows that an important preliminary question for any ethical evaluation of (innovations in) genomic selection is how the scope of discussion should be set, that is, which ethical issues and perspectives ought to be considered. This scope is determined by three partly overlapping choices. The first choice is which ethical concepts to include: an ethical discussion of genomic selection approaches may draw on concepts central to (Anglo-Saxon) applied ethics, but some critical views have been based on concepts from critical animal studies and continental philosophy. A related choice is to what extent discussion should focus on new ethical issues raised or on existing ethical issues that will be ameliorated, perpetuated or aggravated by an innovation in genomic selection. The third choice is to treat an innovation in genomic selection either as a technique on itself or as a part of specific practices. We argue that ethical discussion should not limit attention to new issues or ignore the implications of particular ways of applying genomic selection in practice, and this has some consequences for which ethical concepts ought to be included. Limiting the scope of discussion may be defensible in some contexts, but broader ethical discussion remains necessary.

Automated summary

This paper examines the ethical evaluation of genomic selection in agricultural animal breeding and highlights the importance of setting the scope of discussion. The scope is determined by choices regarding the ethical concepts to include, the focus on new or existing ethical issues, and the treatment of genomic selection as a technique or a part of specific practices. The authors argue that ethical discussion should not be limited to new issues and should consider the implications of specific ways of applying genomic selection in practice.