This has to be the best first paragraph of any enviro story for the month:

This little piggy's manure causes less pollution. This little piggy produces extra milk for her babies. And this little piggy makes fatty acids normally found in fish, so that eating its bacon might actually be good for you.

The NY Times' Andrew Pollack continues in a story in today's paper:

The three pigs, all now living in experimental farmyards, are among the genetically engineered animals whose meat might one day turn up on American dinner plates.

The article dissects the lack of regulation by the Food and Drug Administration over genetically modified pigs, cows, salmon and goats. The changes do neat stuff -- the cows are more resistant to udder infections, salmon grow super fast, the goats pass disease resistance on to kids in developing nations.

Trouble is, the system's short on regulation, discouraging investment because of regulatory uncertainty and keeping critics concerned about the health impacts of these animals on people eating them, or what could happen if, for example, the fast growing salmon escaped to compete with native fish.

Only now, Pollack said, are FDA officials getting serious about drafting rules, "after more than 15 years of talks and false starts."

The F.D.A. is turning to transgenic animals after having tentatively declared in December that milk and meat from livestock that is cloned -- but not otherwise genetically manipulated -- was safe for people to eat.