FDA Gives Preliminary Approval for Cloned Meat and Dairy Product

[Guest guest]

This article came to me from ahopnatural.com and it asks for input

from the public directly to the FDA with a deadline of 4/2/07 for

comments.

Sheila

 

 

FDA Gives Preliminary Approval for Cloned Meat and Dairy Products

 

Just when you thought it was safe to go back down the meat aisle,

comes a new policy from the Food and Drug Administration approving the

use of cloned animals for meat and dairy products. The decision

apparently benefits only two or three cloning facilities nationwide.

With little data, other than that supplied by the cloning companies,

Via-gen and Cyagra, the FDA determined that cloned meat is " virtually "

the same as meat from animals that are bred naturally or through

artificial insemination.

 

If the FDA proposal is adopted, the United States will become the

first country to allow meat and dairy products from cloned animals to

be sold commercially. This change would end a moratorium on the sale

of cloned meat and dairy.

 

The two cloning companies, who stand to gain considerably if this is

passed, provided most of the data that the FDA relied on in its

decision-making according to the Cornucopia Institute. Independent

consumer and farm groups disagree with the data and the conclusions.

 

Cloning involves replicating an animal exactly - taking the complete

" genetic code " of the donor animal and implanting the embryo into a

surrogate mother. The offspring is an exact genetic duplicate. Classic

breeding, by natural methods or artificial insemination, joins the

genetic material of two animals and this can result in natural changes

and " chance " that would normally occur in classic breeding. The

current interest in cloning revolves around the financial gain in

breeding replicates of a prized meat producing animal, superior

breeding stock, or a dairy cow that produces large amounts of milk for

example. The only draw to this type of breeding is financial: the

economic benefit far outweighs the proven adverse health issues and

higher death rate in cloned animals.

 

The health risks and deformities inherent in the cloning process can

be horrific. The FDA documents health risks for the surrogate animals

as well as the offspring. These abnormalities can be physical

deformities that can appear in more than 50% of cloned cattle.

Surrogate animals are more likely to die during pregnancy and the

failure rate of cloned offspring can be reportedly as high as 90%. The

FDA has gone so far as to address the concerns about the amount of

damaged and deformed animals that will result in cloning. The FDA

report states: " Increased risks of adverse health outcomes have been

observed in surrogate dames and very young clones. Working with

professional societies dedicated to animal health and the care of

food-producing animals…, FDA will encourage the development of

standards of care for animals involved in the cloning process (ie.

clones and their surrogated dames). "

 

At this time, almost 60% of Americans surveyed said they would not

want to eat meat from cloned animals even with assurance from the FDA.

The FDA however does not intend to require labels on the meat or dairy

products from clones. Products would be on shelves with no way for a

consumer to know if they were buying cloned meat or dairy.

 

At this point certified organic meat and dairy products would not be

allowed to use cloned animals but this is a slippery slope. Since many

cloned animals are intended for classic breeding and the FDA does not

intend to have any tracking system for clones, many in the food

industry worry that the cloned animals and their offspring will be

introduced into organic farms without the knowledge of the farmers.

 

The rapidity at which the FDA allowed bioengineered plants and animal

products into the food supply has resulted in lawsuits, problems with

cross contamination of crops and led to the recall of a number of

organic products that showed contamination. This rush to allow cloned

animals and dairy products into the general food supply seems to bring

more questions than answers. The fact that the companies that stand to

gain financially provided most of the data that the FDA relied on adds

to the questionable nature of this decision.

 

We urge you to contact the FDA with any concerns you may have. You

have until April 2nd to make your thoughts known on this. Never

underestimate your ability to affect the outcome of these types of

decisions. If possible, please send me a copy of any comments you

provide to the FDA.

 

Electronic comments may be sent to the FDA. Go to FDA.gov and click

on animal cloning on the right hand side under Hot Topics. At the

bottom of the page is a submit comments button. Click on that and

proceed.