What Are We Doing to Pigs?

Back in March 2006 John Stewart did a brief segment on the The Daily Show called "What Are We Doing to Pigs?" in which he commented on news that scientists have engineered pigs so that their bacon has more omega-3 fatty acids. His comment: "Yes, yes, we 'could' eat in moderation, but wouldn't it be easier to just rearrange a mammal's cellular structure." I thought of Stewart's clip (which can be found here) and its catchy theme song, when I read recently that farmers in the U.K. are working to breed "stress" and "hostility" out of pigs to make them more obedient on the way to the slaughterhouse. According to a Nottingham University professor cited in the Daily Mail (January 10, 2007) the goal is to create animal "vegetables." As Stewart said in disgust at the end of his segment, "God..."