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Are pigs used in biomedical testing ever butchered for their meat? Seems like we kill a lot of pigs every year anyways. Would be neat if we could get multiple
by cwkoss 5y ago
Are pigs used in biomedical testing ever butchered for their meat?
Seems like we kill a lot of pigs every year anyways. Would be neat if we could get multiple birds from one stone - for experiments where there isn't a risk of making the meat dangerous at least.
- DrAwdeOccarim 5y agoI doubt it. All disposed of according to hazardous waste rules. Also, large study animals are so important that most tissues and bits are studied during necropsy in close details with retained material kept frozen for years.
- SomeHacker44 5y agoActually, I heard an NPR story over the holidays about a tick borne disease that causes a meat allergy, and how pigs raised for another purpose then became suitable for butchering to eat their meat for people with that disease... So it happens in at least one case.
- aaaaaaaaaaab 5y ago“ In 2020 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved genetic modification of pigs so they do not produce alpha-gal sugars. Pigs developed with the trademarked name GalSafe may be able to be eaten safely by people with alpha-gal allergy.[44] They may also produce alpha-gal-safe drugs,[45] and their organs can also be used for xenotransplantation.” https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha-gal_allergy
- mlyle 5y agoWhich, is the exact genetic modification discussed in the article (along with 2 other carbohydrates getting knocked out).
- tptacek 5y agoIt depends! One of my kids is a biochemist wrapping up his degree this semester in a vet-med lab (send job opportunities!). He's done one study with pigs, where they were developing new enteric vaccines. At the conclusion of the study there's nothing wrong with the pigs --- they're just hyper-vaccinated --- but without a place to send them, all they can do is euthanize. He spent a week or two trying to re-home the pigs, but he's at UIUC and there is no pig shortage in the area. You could have taken those pigs for free and ultimately butchered them. Euthanizing research pigs seems especially difficult. I'm really into butchery --- invested in a butcher in the area --- and would happily attend a slaughter. But the circumstances attending euthanizing research pigs are tricky; the pigs are all in a common area, and they're social animals and know something's up when you put one of them down. It messed with the boy.
- cwkoss 5y ago> But the circumstances attending euthanizing research pigs are tricky; the pigs are all in a common area, and they're social animals and know something's up when you put one of them down. Interesting. I wonder if people have experimented with more humane slaughtering practices like giving the pigs a bunch of booze/opiates so they can have a big pig party, then slaughtering once they've had their fun and passed out. Seems like it could be much more humane. Give em a last hoorah.
- bayesian_horse 5y agoThe easier solution would be to euthanize them one by one in a separate room.
- cwkoss 5y agoCertainly would be easier, but would the pigs prefer it? I'm more curious about the thought experiment of what would be the kindest to the pigs (that still results in their slaughter).
- kevinmchugh 5y agoDave Arnold tried to take euthanized research pigs to cook, back when he worked in, iirc, Dr. Oz's lab. No dice.