Voice 1
Thank you for joining us for today’s Spotlight program. I’m David Bast.
Voice 2
And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
If you are like many people around the world you enjoy eating meat. You may have a favourite kind of meat - cow, goat, lamb, chicken or duck. It can taste very good! And meat is a good source of protein. This substance is necessary for a healthy diet. But other people believe that eating meat is wrong. They believe it is unkind to animals. They argue that animals raised for meat often suffer. And people kill these animals in a violent way.
Voice 2
But what if people could eat meat without eating animals? PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - works to improve animal rights. Members of PETA believe that eating living creatures is wrong. PETA knows that some people will not stop eating meat. But they wonder - what if these meat-eaters could get their meat without causing pain to animals? PETA hopes to encourage more scientists to think about this question.
Voice 1
In 2008 PETA began a competition. PETA will give one million [1,000,000] dollars to the first individual, group, or company, that can produce and sell a special kind of chicken meat. This meat will not involve killing animals. Instead, it must be grown in a laboratory using a process called in vitro, or IV.
Voice 2
The IV process uses cells from an existing thing - for example, an organ like a heart or kidney. Scientists put the cells in a special substance. It makes the cells multiply and grow. The cells grow into a new organ. Scientists have been using in vitro for some years to grow organs and other body parts. Then these organs can replace failing organs in sick people’s bodies. Using in vitro to reproduce organs is not yet widely used.
Voice 1
But PETA believes scientists could use this technology to make meat. After all, meat is a tissue made from cells. If scientists could reproduce these meat cells they could make meat without killing animals. Scientists can take the starter cells from living animals. Getting the cells usually involves little or no pain for the animal. Then scientists could grow the cells in a growing substance. If the meat looked and tasted like normal meat - that is, killed animal meat - people might eat it.
Voice 2
Experts believe there could be many positive results from IV meat. First, cruelty or violence toward animals would decrease. PETA says that in the United States alone, every year people kill over forty million [40,000,000] animals for their meat - including chickens, fish, pigs, and cows. They say these animals often die in horrible and violent ways.
Voice 1
But animals raised for meat also may experience cruelty while they are still alive. PETA describes animals held in cages - containers with bars. The cages are very small. They prevent animals from moving freely or experiencing life as free animals have for thousands of years.
Voice 2
Second, growing IV meat can make meat healthier. Many animals in developed countries receive growth hormones or antibiotics. These substances help the animals stay healthy and grow large. But they can also affect people who eat the meat. Too many hormones and antibiotics can cause problems in people. In vitro meat will not require these substances.
Voice 1
In vitro meat could also be healthier because scientists can engineer it to be that way. For example, scientists can grow IV meat to contain less bad fat. Some kinds of fat are good - like the particular fats found only in fish. With IV meat scientists could grow other meats to also include this fat. This could make meat healthier. In vitro meat would also free of diseases found in animals like bird flu, mad cow disease, and salmonella.
Voice 2
Finally, growing IV meat is better for the environment. Living animals need food and land. Sometimes these resources are limited. Also, some animals release a lot of waste - in solid, liquid, and gas form. These waste products enter the air and people breathe them in. They also enter drinking water supplies. The Natural Resources Defence Council says that the waste products from factory farms can cause many problems in humans - from breathing problems to diarrhea to death in babies.
Voice 1
Growing in vitro meat could produce a good substitute for killed animal meat. And it could be very helpful to people. PETA is not the only group looking for ways to produce quality IV meat. But it is the only group offering a prize. So, how do people win this competition?
Voice 2
First, an individual, group or company will produce an IV chicken product. PETA will judge the product. The IV meat must already be approved by the government for humans to eat. If the PETA judges approve the IV meat, they will pass it on to a test group.
Voice 1
The test group will then eat the chicken. They will compare the taste and feel of the IV meat to the taste and feel of meat from a killed chicken. If the product passes these measures, it will go to the final step.
Voice 2
The final step of PETA’s competition involves producing large amounts of IV chicken and successfully selling it. The winner of the competition must produce enough IV chicken to sell in many stores. But they must also sell the IV chicken at a low price. It must be about the same price as meat from a killed chicken. And they must sell the IV chicken in at least ten US states.
Voice 1
People or groups have until June 30, 2012 to enter their IV meat in PETA’s competition. The first individual, group, or company to produce and sell the best IV chicken will win the one million [1,000,000] dollar prize.
Voice 2
Not everyone at PETA agrees with the competition. Some of them believe that people should not ever eat meat. They say meat is unhealthy in any form. Other people at PETA disagree with the competition because they believe the prize is too small and the competition is too complex. It would cost too much and take too long to do what PETA is asking.
Voice 1
Even people not involved with PETA think that the competition is a little strange. They think that eating meat that has not come from an animal is strange. They say they would probably not eat the meat even if it were low cost.
Voice 2
What do you think about PETA’s contest? Will scientists be able to produce and sell a quality meat product made from the in vitro process? And would you eat this meat? Send us your opinions at Radio @ English.net.
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