Genetically-modified cows are being bred without horns to make the countryside safer.

Scientists have created the cows to protect farmers, walkers and other animals.

The new cows have soft hair where their horns should be, which farmers often cut or burn to dull down for safety.

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Thanks to gene editing, this calf pictured with animal geneticist Dr Alison Van Eenennaam will not grow horns and will not have to go through the de-horning process. Scientists are proposing the new method as a way of making the countryside safer

HOW WERE THE HORNLESS COWS CREATED? 'De-horning' cows can be achieved genetically because of a revolutionary gene editing technique that allows the precise selection and insertion of DNA using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. CRISPR has transformed genetic engineering since it was first demonstrated in 2012. The system allows the 'cut and paste' manipulation of strands of DNA with a precision not seen before. Using this technique, the California scientists cut and pasted non-horned cow DNA into horned cow DNA to create hornless cows. Two hornless calves were born through IVF techniques, named Spotigy and Buri by the team. Advertisement

Gene-editing was used by scientists as The University of California, Davis, to remove the DNA responsible for horn growth in black-and-white Holsteins, a popular breed of cow.

Around five Britons a year are killed by cows on average making them the UK's most deadly large animal.

In the US 25 people are killed by cows each year, of which 75 per cent are known to be deliberate attacks.

Many farmers saw cow horns off or burn them with a soldering iron to stop them from becoming too sharp as adults.

The researchers' new genetic technique could provide a more humane way of removing horns.

Only a few species of cow do not grow horns such as the UK's Hereford and Angus breeds.

Animal geneticist Dr Alison Van Eenennaam of UC Davis spliced the DNA of non-horned species with the DNA of horned species.

She created two claves who were born through IVF techniques and called Spotigy and Buri.

Presenting her researcher at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Boston, Dr Van Eenennaam said: 'Genome editing promises to complement traditional breeding programs by precisely introducing desirable genetic variations into livestock breeding programs.'

The experimental cows created by the researchers remain in quarantine for now.

Gene-editing was used by scientists at The University of California, Davis, to modify the DNA responsible for horn growth in black-and-white Holsteins, a popular breed of cow. The team used the controversial CRISPR genome technique to breed two hornless calves (stock image)

A CONTROVERSIAL TOOL Some people are voicing their opposition to CRISPR gene-editing technology. Earth Open Source, a European NGO funded by the Maharishi cult, recently attacked the claim that CRISPR was more accurate than previous genetic engineering tools. However, the claim has since been disputed by Genetic Literacy Project, who said that 'the cult's description has little to do with the use of the technology in plants.' David Stern, a plant biologist and president of the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, recently warned in a statement that people might perceive gene editing as 'playing God.' But he added: 'I think this is a price that must be paid for the many benefits gene-edited crops can bring to the agricultural space.' Advertisement

They were produced using a new gene-editing technique known as CRISPR.

CRISPR has transformed genetic engineering since it was first demonstrated in 2012.

The system allows the 'cut and paste' manipulation of strands of DNA with a precision not seen before.

The California researchers compare their genetic modification methods to that of selective breeding.

Thanks to improvements made in the dairy industry through traditional breeding, a glass of milk today is associated with just one-third of the greenhouse gas emissions linked to producing a glass of milk in the 1940s, Dr Van Eenennaam said during her talk.

This was accomplished as traditional selective breeding improved the productivity of dairy cows so much that the number of dairy cows in the United States dropped from a high of 25.6 million in 1944 to about 9 million today.

This change was seen even as the country experienced a 1.6-fold increase in total milk production, she added.

'A number of breeding methods, including artificial insemination, embryo transfer, crossbreeding and, more recently, genomic selection, have been used to achieve these improvements,' Dr Van Eenennaam said.

Research is now underway to extend applications of gene editing in the future.

Gene editing might, for example, make it possible to produce offspring of only one gender, such as only hens for egg-laying operations.