Genetically Engineered Pigs

 

Boadcast: February 18, 2003
By Mario Ritter

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Food in the United States can include genetically² engineered crops. No genetically engineered animals, however, have yet been approved by the government to be eaten. But federal officials announced that some experimental pigs might have entered the food supply. The food safety officials said there appeared to be no danger, though, if people ate meat from these animals.

The pigs were born during research at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. The researchers wanted to create a pig that could produce more milk. So they took genetic¹ material from a cow and put it into pigs. The scientists also designed a gene1 to improve the ability of baby pigs to process milk.

The goal of the research was to create a faster-growing pig. These experiments began in two-thousand-one. They ended this January.

In all, the pigs gave birth to three-hundred-eighty-six babies. The researchers sold these piglets to an animal seller, who then may have sold them for use as food.

The Illinois researchers told federal officials that the animals did not possess any changed genes³ from their parents. For this reason, the scientists said they believed they could sell the young pigs to market. The Food and Drug Administration, however, says the researchers were supposed to destroy the animals to keep them out of the food supply.

The F-D-A said it did not have enough information to confirm that no engineered genes were passed on to the piglets2. Even so, agency officials said the scientific evidence they had suggested there was no risk to public health.

Still, the case has added to the issue over genetically engineered foods. Critics say there may be unknown risks. A few years ago, some corn called StarLink entered the American food supply without approval.

Scientists gave this corn a protein3 poisonous to some insects that attack corn crops. But this protein was not shown to break down easily in the human stomach. So the government approved StarLink for animals but not for people.

Some people said they got sick after they ate food products made with the StarLink. But the producer of the corn noted⁴ that government reports said no link was proven.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter.
1. gene [dVi:n] n. [遗传]因子，基因
2. piglet [5pI^lIt] n. 小猪
3. protein [5prEuti:n] n. 蛋白质

1 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

2 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

3 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。