FDA says food from cloned animals is safe

[Barnyard Dawg]

Just read this article. How do you feel about comsuming cloned animals? I don't have alot of faith in the FDA.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22663416/

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I'm not even sure we need these cloned animals but, it does concern me that they have cleared the meat and milk from them for human consumption. I'm wondering what the European Union will decide. They are also going to be looking at this issue. Sometimes I think they look at things more throughly than the FDA who has had to reverse many of it's decisions!

 

[Frozen Feathers]

Cloned animals, well that's just taking the DNA from a cell (whether it's from the mother or another animal) and injecting it into her own egg. So it is just another animal, just not conceived in the "natural way", but as far as the meat quality and safeness is concerned, a sheep is a sheep. Dolly comes to mind.

The reason the "meat" industry would like to use cloning, well if you an outstanding animal, you could make more, guaranteed to be completely identical to that one animal.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

I don't see what the big deal is with eating meat from cloned animals. It's all meat, any way you look at it. However, I don't believe that it'd be economical to clone animals vs. breeding them for the purpose. If anyone did take that venture, it'd have to be big business because small time farmers wouldn't be able to afford the process.

 

[Buster]

We buy Limousin bulls from a ranch in Montana. They had a bull a few years ago that was outstanding- by far the most used bull in the breed. Everyone wanted semen from him for their breeding program. His name was First Down. Unfortunately, he died prematurely, but before he did, they cloned 2 bulls from him. They spent about $10,000 on the clones knowing that they would get their money back from the sale of the semen from these bulls and percent ownership. The USDA asked them to voluntarily put a hold on their plans for this until the use of cloned animals for human consumption was approved. They agreed and it went on for years. I'm sure they are excited now that they can finally make a profit. I think these cloned bulls can improve the Limousin breed like their sire did. I personally don't have a problem at all with anything related to cloned animals.

 

[Gonzo the Great]

I think it's actually more beneficial than we realize !

 

[chickbea]

My concern here is, as always, the lack of genetic diversity and how it will play out in the long run. There is an evolutionary reason why higher life forms evolved to have sexual reproduction as opposed to asexual.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Your assuming that the clone is identical. I have heard of cases in the dairy industry where the clone is not as good a producer as the original. I have to wonder what else is different.

 

[Frozen Feathers]

I don't think it would work in the dairy industry, especially if they were using the dam's DNA, mainly because I believe milk production is determined by the sire, not the dam.

 

[Buster]

Quote:
I saw these bulls in person and they looked outstanding. No they weren't identical, but a lot of that has to do with individual performance. No one knows yet what their offspring will be like because the owners voluntarily complied with the USDA's request not to breed them. Also, I would think that as far as genetic diversity goes, cloning isn't far removed from line-breeding, which, if done wisely, can be very successful.