Sir, - Kathryn Holmquist's, report "What are we eating? (November 2nd) certainly provides food for thought. The scare over BSE in cattle, antibiotic levels in pork, and salmonella in chicken has dominated the media headlines for some time. However, there may be worse to come.
In the 1970s, a film called Soylent Green depicted a futuristic state in which the main diet of the populace contained human tissue and body parts. That science fiction nightmare, is now closer to becoming a reality with the advent of the transgenic animal.
This is a creature which has a gene from a human being, or another animal of a different species, inserted into its genetic structure. Already, pigs with a human gene have been created in Britain and the meat from these animals has gone on sale throughout the European Union. The purpose of this genetic engineering is to speed up meat production and make it more profitable for those involved in the industry.
The application of human genes in the redesigning of livestock raises an ethical question: what right do we have to tamper with creation and pervert the course of nature in the pursuit of commercial interests? The feeding of animal flesh to herbivores led to outbreaks of BSE. The possible health risks posed by transgenic breeding have not even been assessed.
What we DO know is that sheep with human genes, have developed weak joints and died prematurely. and that pigs with human genes have suffered from kidney damage, joint problems, pneumonia, impaired vision, and diabetes like symptoms. Of health scares we have seen nothing yet. Animal genetic engineering has taken us one step closer to the abyss. - Yours, etc.,
Lower Coyne Street,
Callan,
Co. Kilkenny.
