Tuesday, January 1, 2002
Letters
Dear Editor:
In the December 4th issue Tom Van Dusen asked, “where does the Enviropig
fit in” to help the pork producer satisfy the proposed Nutrient Management
Act, and still remain profitable?
To provide a refresher, manure from pigs and poultry is enriched in phosphorous, the major pollutant in areas of pork and poultry production. The Enviropig is designed to secrete in its saliva the enzyme phytase. This endows the pigs with the capability to utilize practically all of the phosphorus present in cereal grains.
This has two primary benefits: there is no need to add either supplemental phosophate of phytase enzyme to the diet, and second, the phosphorus content of the manure will be reduced by 60 to 80 per cent, which will allow manure to be spread on land at the same or greater rate than before and still meet stringent nutrient management requirements. Thials are in progress to determine whether the Enviropig manure has less odour.
Initial testing has documented that the transgenic phytase pigs are as healthy and grow as rapidly as other pigs. If the transgenic pigs appear healthy, why are they not in the food chain? Because of strict Canadian legislation including the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, the Novel Foods Act and the Health of Animals Act, which we fully support, and will necessitate extensive studies to document that the pigs have no deleterious effect on the environment, that they are healthy, and produce safe pork over an extended period of time.
Has industry shown interest in the Enviropig? Despite the tide of interest from the press, government and individuals throughout the world, no major player has come forward to sponsor the last hurdle for the Enviropig. However, we have had discussions with several swine breeders in Canada and with scientists in China who are keen to import the Enviropig.
There are good reasons for this want and see attitude; first, there is the matter of cost, taking the first transgenic pig through the regulator process will be expensive and unchartered course, and second, the Enviropig is a GMO, and at least one major player in the pork industry is concerned that being associated with research and development on genetically modified pigs may leave the impression that their breeding stock is genetically modified, a factor which could have financial consequences.
When can we expect industry to take the Enviropig flag and run with it? The worst-case scenario is that the pork industry will not embrace the Enviropig until nutrient legislation is pressing the financial bottom line such that the continued profitability supersedes the concern over the GMO issue.
A factor that has been discounted is the flexibility of consumers when it comes to price shopping. Knowing that the pigs had been thoroughly tested, and if enviro-pork is a few cents cheaper than conventional pork, many consumers will go for the cheaper product. Some may even buy it because the Enviropig leaves a significantly smaller footprint in the environment.
The bottom line is yes the Enviropig is “hogtied in red tape”, however, be patient, its time will come, perhaps sooner than we expect.
Cecil W. Forsberg, Professor,
Department of Microbiology, University of Guelph