The Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the sale of meat from cloned animals on Jan. 18, 2008.
"The federal Food and Drug Administration has concluded that meat and milk from clones of cattle, swine, and goats, and the offspring of clones from any species traditionally consumed as food, are as safe to eat as food from conventionally bred animals, the agency announced.
The FDA says an animal clone is a genetic copy of a donor animal, "similar to an identical twin, but born at a different time."
Due to their cost and rarity, clones are intended to be used as elite breeding animals to introduce desirable traits into herds more rapidly than would be possible using conventional breeding."
Let's also remember that the meat will not be labeled as coloned meat, so there won't be any way for consumers to know that they actually are eating offsprings of cloned animals.
So many ethical questions come to mind:
1. Do I want to eat cloned meat?
2. Do I not want to know when I eat cloned meat?
3. Am I contemplating becoming a vegetarian?
4. Is it OK to eat cloned meat because the FDA says so?
5. ...
Due to their cost and rarity, clones are intended to be used as elite breeding animals to introduce desirable traits into herds more rapidly than would be possible using conventional breeding."
Let's also remember that the meat will not be labeled as coloned meat, so there won't be any way for consumers to know that they actually are eating offsprings of cloned animals.
So many ethical questions come to mind:
1. Do I want to eat cloned meat?
2. Do I not want to know when I eat cloned meat?
3. Am I contemplating becoming a vegetarian?
4. Is it OK to eat cloned meat because the FDA says so?
5. ...
(thanks to: www.ens-newswire.com)
1 comment:
What also strikes me about cloning is the issue of "desirable traits". Typically these traits favor large size animals or high milk-producing animals for example over the health of the animal. The USDA has ruled that "downer cows" (cows that can't stand on their own) are unhealthy to eat. Sounds logical doesn't it? Perhaps we should poll cows and find out what traits they would like emphasized in their breeding, rather than asking the beef industry. Perhaps they would ask for faster legs!
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