Sir, - Whilst there have been many reports of concerns about the safety of genetic engineering in food and farming, the public could be forgiven for thinking that genetic engineering has nothing to do with animals. But it has an awful lot to do with animals and awful is the operative word: many thousands of animals are suffering and dying in genetic engineering experiments.
Compassion in World Farming and the Irish Anti-Vivisection Society therefore welcomed the opportunity to highlight the hidden cruelty behind the biotechnology industry at the "Growing Awareness" conference on genetic engineering last weekend in Skibbereen. However, we were astonished to find that your account of the conference omitted any reference to the animal welfare issues that were raised.
Commercially-backed experiments are being conducted in companies and universities throughout the world to try and find ways to make animals grow quicker and bigger. These experiments are causing appalling distress, deformities and premature death to animals.
Animals are also being used in a misguided effort to test genetically modified foods and ingredients to see if they are safe to eat. The moral reasons for not inflicting pain and suffering on unconsenting, sentient creatures are strongly reinforced by mounting evidence that animal research is an unreliable and often dangerously misleading way of predicting human responses since animals differ from people in their metabolisms and reactions to substances. It is extremely surprising, therefore, that people are calling for further experiments on animals to satisfy themselves that genetically modified foods are harmless. - Yours, etc., Yvonne Smalley,
Irish Anti-Vivisection Society, Greystones, Co. Wicklow.