Experiments on genetically modified goats in Hamilton have resulted in the animals producing mostly transgender offspring. The goats have been bred on AgResearch's Ruakura facility, where experiments are being done to create pharmaceuticals. Soil and Health New Zealand spokesman Steffan Browning, who recently toured the facility, has told NZPA 75 per cent of the goats were females in sterile male bodies. AgResearch staff refer to them as "goys". AgResearch's general manager of applied biosciences, Dr Jimmy Suttie, said the goats were transgender because of the cell line used to produce them, and had nothing to do with genetic modification. "It was inadvertent. This is something which normally happens about 10 to 15 per cent of the time in this breed of goat. It just happens to be the cell line that was used." The transgender goats are being milked to find out whether they carry the intended human protein.
Credit: GayNZ.com Daily News staff
First published: Monday, 13th June 2011 - 10:10am