Trade politics delay US launch of genetically edited PRRS-resistant pigs despite regulatory approvals

Despite securing scientific and regulatory support, Genus faces trade hurdles delaying the commercial launch of its PRRS-resistant pigs in North America, highlighting the influence of international trade politics over biological innovation.

Genus has secured the scientific and regulatory backing to sell its PRRS-resistant pig in North America, but its own latest filings show trade politics still matter more than biology for revenues. Canada cleared the animals for food and feed on 23 January 2026 after Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency completed independent safety reviews, yet Genus said in its February 2026 interim results that there had still been no first commercial sale and no broad US launch because key export-market approvals were outstanding.

That caution reflects the scale of the prize. Reuters reported that the US Food and Drug Administration approved the gene edit on 30 April 2025 for the food supply chain, with Iowa State analysis putting PRRS losses to US producers at about $1.2bn a year. In Canada, industry losses are estimated at C$130m annually. The edit, developed from work at the Roslin Institute and the University of Missouri-Columbia, removes part of the CD163 entry point used by the virus; the CFIA said feed ingredients from the pigs are equivalent to conventional pig feed, although PIC must report any new risk information. Elena Rice told AgNavigator: “We won’t be broadly commercializing the PRRS-resistant pig in the US until it is approved in Mexico.”