Frankenswine, the less pungent pig: Scientists genetically modify farm animal so it won't SMELL



Smelly: An ordinary porker. But GM pigs are designed to better digest plant phosphorous - the chief cause of odour

It looks, sounds and, according to its creators, tastes like a normal pig.

But this is no ordinary farmyard animal. The specially-bred Yorkshire pig is the first of a new generation of ‘Frankenswine’ – genetically modified hogs designed to be cheaper and greener.

The creators of the GM superpig, nicknamed the Enviropig, say its manure contains less phosphorus than normal slurry and poses less risk to rivers, streams and lakes.

But critics of GM food said the animals are ‘anything but environmentally friendly’ – and could lead to more intensive pig farms.

Researchers have been working on the Enviropig for more than a decade.



They believe it will be the first GM animal to be allowed into the food chain and could one day provide sausages, bacon and pork for the world.

Like all creatures, pigs need phosphorus in their diet to help form strong bones, teeth and cell walls.

They are fed primarily on cereals which contains a type of phosphorus that they cannot digest. Most farmers have to feed pigs an enzyme called phytase to make plant phosphorus digestible.

But phytase supplements are not very good at breaking down phosphorus, so a large amount is flushed out of their bodies in waste.

The phosphorous-rich manure can make its way into the water supply where it triggers algal blooms, which choke aquatic life and create ‘dead zones’ for fish.

Algae: Regular pig manure can pollute streams and ponds, like above

Unlike normal pigs, Enviropigs have been designed to produce their own phytase.



Researchers took a gene responsible for the creation of phytase from an E.coli bacteria and added it to the genetical make-up of a Yorkshire pig.

To make sure the bacterium gene would work in the animal, they combined it with a gene taken from a mouse before inserting it into the Enviropig’s DNA.

In tests, the Enviropig was able to absorb more phosphorous from its feed. Its waste contained less of the potentially toxic substance.

Its meat also appears to be identical to cuts from a traditional Yorkshire pig.

One of the pig’s creators, Professor Rich Moccia, of the University of Guelph, in Ontario, Canada, told the BBC: ‘They are pretty friendly and pretty gregarious.



'These pigs are almost identical to a normal Yorkshire pig. They look normal, they grow normally and they behave normally.’

Earlier this year the Canadian government approved the animal for production and breeding in laboratories. But it is still not allowed in the food chain – and is years away from being approved.

Vicky Hird, of Friends of the Earth, said the name Enviropig ‘was a huge irony’.



She added: ‘Pigs reared in these intensive units can never be sustainable because they require so much soya which is grown by clearing forests which leads to more greenhouse gases being released.

‘And when it comes to GM food, consumers are voting with their feet. They won’t accept it.’