The Issues: Buy Local

 

Cloning is a scientific process that allows scientists to copy the genetic traits of a plant or animal and create one or more living replicas. In 1996, Sottish scientists successfully cloned the first mammal ever - a sheep, which they named “Dolly.” i Ever since the announcement of this scientific event, cloning has been a highly controversial subject. sustainable Table

The debate centers around two primary issues: concern about the moral implications of cloning animals and humans, and the unknown health consequences of eating foods made from the offspring of cloned animals. This page is intended to focus primarily on the second issue, and also to explain current knowledge surrounding the use of cloned animals in the agriculture industry.

How does cloning work?
Scientists clone animals by removing the nucleus from an animal egg, and replacing it with the nucleus from a body cell of another animal. This way, the egg develops into an animal that has identical genetic traits as the animal whose cell nucleus was taken. ii

Designer Cows?
Over the past decade, mice, mules, horses, deer, oxen, dogs and cats have all been cloned. Notably, cows have been cloned, which opens up potential for this technology to be used in industrial beef and dairy production.

Scientists expect that in the future cloning technology will be commonly practiced for replicating breeding animals. Because cloning is a very expensive process, the clones will not be slaughtered for meat or milked, but instead will produce offspring to be used for food production. iii This would allow the beef and dairy industries to take advantage of the genetic traits of prized cows and bulls without being limited by the animals’ natural lifespan.

Regulation and Consumer Preferences
Unfortunately, few regulations exist to protect consumers, the environment, or farm animals from the potential risks from cloned food. In 2003, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) enacted a voluntary ban on the use of cloned animals in any phase of food production. iv The FDA has not yet made any determination about the safety of food from cloned animals, and likewise has neither banned nor approved it. As of late 2006, however, the administration was indicating that approval was likely. v

If the FDA does choose to approve the use of this technology in food production, there is likely to be a mixed response from the food industry, where some are excited about the potential economic benefits that will come with cloning and others fear that consumers will be turned off by cloned foods. vi In a 2005 poll, 63 percent of consumers said that they would not buy food from cloned animals, even if the FDA deemed it safe. To make matters even more complicated, as of 2003, the FDA was unable to say for certain whether or not any food from clones had already entered the market, viiand some dairy farmers are already known to have cloned their prized Holsteins. viii  

Health Concerns
Despite claims that food from clones is safe, many believe that there has not yet been an adequate amount of research conducted to prove that this is true. ix Most assertions of this technology’s safety are based on a 2005 study on milk taken from just four cows and beef from only two cattle. x

What is clear is that many scientists believe cloning produces animals that are more likely to become sick than animals that are born naturally. Dolly the sheep, for example, developed premature arthritis and lung disease that led her creators to euthanize her after just six years—roughly half the lifespan of a normal sheep. xi

As of 2001, 95 percent of all cloning experiments  ended in “disaster,” and there were “serious problems” with all five species of mammals that had been cloned at that point. xii Researchers involved in cloning have noted severe physical deformities that have occurred in cloned animals, including oversized navels, oddly-shaped heads (cows that have heads shaped like those of bulldogs), and malformed arteries. xiii Cloned animals tend to have more problems during childbirth, resulting in higher rates of death among mothers and children during birthing, xiv and they have also tended to exhibit disorders such as blocked intestines, immune deficiencies and diabetes. xv

The developmental and genetic abnormalities that tend to characterize cloned animals raise concerns about the use of cloning technology in food production. Dolly’s creator, Ian Wilmut, has stated that small imbalances in a clone’s protein, hormone, or fat levels could affect the safety and quality of its milk or meat. xvi

An Ethical Question
Some believe that the cloning of animals is a violation of animal welfare, as it puts both the sick and deformed clones and their surrogate parents through unneeded suffering. xvii Other people argue that all cloning is ethically wrong. On the other hand, many see these new technologies as offering legitimate hope for curing disease.

For example, scientists in Colorado have developed a genetically engineered line of dopamine-producing cells that could one day be used to treat Parkinson's disease. xviii Likewise, other researchers have worked to harvest groups of disease-fighting human proteins — called "immunoglobulins" — in cows, which can be used to treat ear infections, tetanus and rabies. xix

Such medically-motivated experiments prompt complex questions. Yet the rationale for bringing cloned food to the marketplace is commercial, not heath-related. If the beef and dairy industries choose to take advantage of these technologies, they may achieve great financial gain, while consumers’ health will be put at risk.

What You Can Do
The use of cloning technology in livestock production is not illegal. Therefore, there is a chance that there are already beef and dairy products on the market that came from the offspring of cloned cattle. If you want to be absolutely sure that you and your family are not eating meat and dairy from cloned animals, purchase your food from small, local farms run by farmers you trust.

You can find local beef and dairy farms in the Eat Well Guide, or by visiting a farmers market in your area.

Did You Know?

  • It costs about $20,000 to clone a cow. xx
  • In a 2002 Gallup Poll, 66% of Americans said that they felt cloning animals is “morally wrong.” xxi
  • Scientists have managed to clone 15 kinds of mammals to date, none of which have been primates. xxii

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