聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 Recently I have spent some free time flipping through livestock pages on the Internet. It is for me something of a reflective process. I grew up on a farm with a primary focus on livestock. My summer holidays were spent at summer fairs showing a rather varied list of livestock over the years: hogs, sheep, cattle, dairy goats, and, believe it or not, chickens.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It is still one of my sharpest memories: me as a youngster, and the neighbour who helped out on occasion on the farm with fish nets catching some free-range laying hens so we could take them to Shand Fair, the only fair on the summer circuit we used to attend that had a poultry show. Interestingly, I had planned a day off this summer to take in the Shand Fair, again as a way to maybe turn back time a little, but work got squarely in the way of that idea, so maybe next summer.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 But back to the livestock searches.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It came to me that when people talk about worrying about genetically modified farm produce, humankind has already done a significant job modifying farm livestock.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Certainly, the current technology of GM allows for gene transfer, which is more at the heart of concerns than the actual idea of modification.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Or at least, the wise would hope so.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 If it鈥檚 just the idea of humankind altering the basic organisms that concerns people, then the concern is far too late to arise.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 You only need to start looking into the wild diversity of chickens, to see just how dramatic selective breeding can alter a species over time.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 While the core genetics of all chickens are similar, the actual birds can vary significantly.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Take for example the聽Ayam Cemani聽breed. It is an uncommon and relatively modern breed of聽chicken聽from聽Indonesia. They have a dominant gene that causes hyperpigmentation (or fibromelanosis), making the chicken entirely black, including the feathers, beak, and internal organs.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 That is significantly different from the laying hens of producers in Canada.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The silkie chicken is also black-skinned, with feathering again very different from the more commonly perceived breeds.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The situation is no less dramatic when you cross from farm livestock to the world of common household pets.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 There is little to suggest聽Chihuahua dogs and Newfoundland and Shar Pei dogs all come from common roots, but they actually do have similar lineage in the far distant past.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Pigeons are the same. We see rollers and tumblers developed from certain traits (a聽roller pigeon聽is a domesticated breed or variety of聽pigeon聽that has been selected for its ability to tumble or roll in the air).
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Even goldfish have the hand of selective breeding to modify the species. The bubble eye variety is perhaps the most dramatic example.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Genetic modification is hardly new. The techniques for achieving it are certainly advancing, and the ability to influence one species with traits from another are emerging, but it still is far from a new endeavour on our part.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Humankind has molded many species over the years, and we as a society have accepted them as commonplace already.
