Why is almost all of our attention on GMO crops and almost never on the genetic manipulation of animals? Even when the focus of an anti-GMO campaign is on, say, salmon, it is always framed as a human health issue only, and never an issue of animal ethics. Aside from the ethical issues, from just a practical standpoint alone, we could vastly reduce GMO crops simply by choosing plant foods since the vast majority of GMOs are grains fed to the animals we eat (livestock). And we would thereby exponentially be reducing our ingestion of harmful GMOs through animal flesh, bodily secretions and eggs as well. By far the most widely-consumed, genetically-altered animal is the chicken, with some 56 billion birds bred globally every year to feed a human population of 7 billion. Yet we have no biological need to eat these birds. The suffering endured by chickens for genetic testing and breeding — again, just for pleasure and profit — are well-documented in scientific journals. Birth defects, cancers, bone and blood diseases and heart and liver failure are all commonly reported, even before their slaughter age of 42 days. Why do we maintain a double standard that permits widespread genetic manipulation of animals to breed them for reasons, such as making them grow faster and fatter for greater profitability, and, yet, maintain that all forms of genetic manipulation of humans is immoral, except for research that would result in life-saving cures? Pictured here on the right is the featherless chicken — a bird whose genes have been altered to produce no feathers — proposed by Israeli scientist Avigdor Cahaner of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Faculty of Agriculture, Rehovot. On the left is a picture of a jungle fowl (chicken) in her natural habitat (photo: Goldy RS). What have we done to chickens? What can you do? Stop supporting the poultry industry and animal agriculture, the world’s largest animal abuser — by far. Isn’t it time we evolve as a species, once we know better and once we know we can live healthy lives without harming anyone? Why wouldn’t we? More on chickens at: freefromharm.org/animal-cruelty-investigation/eliminating-the-suffering-of-chickens-bred-for-meat/#sthash.ZxWKI9A1.dpuf.
Posted on: Tue, 27 Aug 2013 02:24:03 +0000
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