Whoa, Nelly - Got Milk & Meat Clones?
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Whoa, Nelly
Got Milk & Meat Clones?
Controversy is raging over the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s recent initial conclusion that food from cloned cattle, pigs and other livestock is as safe to eat as food products from conventionally grown animals. Proponents maintain that cloning can offer more consistent and higher quality meat and dairy products. Opponents say health-risk studies are inadequate. They also question the ethics of the inefficient cloning process, which too often produces stillborn or deformed offspring.
Currently only two companies in the nascent livestock-cloning industry are poised to enter the market. Meanwhile the government is assembling the results of a public comment period that ended last month. At minimum, declares the Union of Concerned Scientists, all cloned products must carry clear labeling to offer consumers a clear choice.
What biotechnology surprise is next? Now that we’ve got Dolly the cloned sheep and a prime clone specimen bull that’s already sired 165,000 youngsters by artificial insemination, the U.S. Department of Agriculture sees no reason to deny commercial production of rice containing human genes. It carries human immune system proteins in its seeds.
Sources: The Christian Science Monitor and WashingtonPost.com.
