How Will Cloning Be Used in the Cattle and Beef Industry?
Beef producers use safe and efficient methods to develop high quality, safe and affordable beef for consumers. Cloning could allow ranchers to duplicate their best breeding animals and, therefore, more consistently produce higher quality cattle. The technology would enable cattle producers to better meet consumer expectations at the meat case. Cloning technology still is relatively new and very expensive. According to the Biotechnology Industry Organization, there are fewer than 600 clones in existence, and they mostly are used for breeding purposes. Is a continued moratorium and/or labeling necessary? Previously, FDA had a voluntary moratorium pending release of its final risk assessment on meat and milk products from animal clones and their progeny from the food supply. But FDA’s guidance documents released January 15, 2008, say “food from clones would be subject to the same requirements as food from their conventionally bred counterparts…We do not believe that meat or milk from catt
