But there is finally a solution says PIC – the PRRS-resistant pig, a gene-editing innovation from the company with more than 60 years experience in agriculture and science.

 

"This isn't a change to pork, it's a change to how pigs are protected from a devastating animal disease," said Matt Culbertson, PIC's chief operating officer. "By removing the one genetic spot where the PRRS virus infects the pig, we've helped pigs become more resilient."

 

PRRS caused an estimated US$1.2 billion per year in the US pork industry from 2016 to 2020, an 80% increase from a decade earlier, according to recent research from Derald Holtkamp, associate professor of veterinary diagnostic and production animal medicine at Iowa State University. The second quarter of 2025 recorded the highest number of PRRS outbreaks in pigs' most crucial growth phase since 2013, per The US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook.

 

Since PRRS-resistant pigs are protected from the disease, PIC notes, by eliminating PRRS, the pork industry could reduce its need for antibiotics, improving animal welfare and minimizing its environmental impact.

 

"Nothing foreign was added and no genes were inserted, meaning this is not a GMO," said Culbertson. "It's a healthier pig, bred through a science-driven solution. We made the original edit more than six years ago. Since then, pigs have passed on PRRS resistance through traditional breeding, the same way I passed blue eyes on to my children."

 

Pig farmers have long hoped for an answer to the worsening problem of PRRS, but to understand the pork consumer perspective, PIC conducted a survey with Circana, one of the world's leading advisors on the complexity of consumer behavior.

 

Compared to the more than 6,000 food products tested by Circana, pork from PRRS-resistant pigs received an above-average purchase likelihood score, indicating a positive consumer perception. In fact, females scored in the upper quintile, saying they were 90% likely to purchase to pork from PRRS-resistant pigs after learning that the taste and safety of the product are no different than any other pork.

 

"Circana concept testing has a 90%+ accuracy rate on consumer behavior predictions," said Staci Covkin, Circana principal of innovation, consumer and shopper insights. "Results show that if a concept scored in the top quintile of Circana's normative benchmarks database, the launched concept then went on to be either a market leader or received top sales or market share. Results are validated using Circana's point of sale data that measures how products are actually performing in market."

 

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the gene edit used to breed PRRS-resistant pigs in April 2025, while Colombia, Brazil, Dominican Republic and Argentina have issued positive determinations for PRRS-resistant pigs, meaning they recognise the pigs are not GMO, and will be regulated the same as any other pigs.

 

"Earning FDA approval was a years-long process, involving rigorous review of third-party research and multiple generations of pigs," said Culbertson.

 

PRRS-resistant pigs join a growing list of FDA-approved gene edits in agriculture, and more than 40 FDA-approved gene edits for human health. There are currently more than 500 gene-edited crops in development worldwide.