050628 Decision on Cloned Meat Expected Soon

Federal regulators may soon release a decision on whether meat and milk from cloned animals and their offspring are safe for human consumption.

The decision is widely expected to conclude that cloned livestock pose no risk to humans. It is being eagerly anticipated by both industries eager to use clones to vastly cut the cost of food production and by food safety groups who warn that declaring clones safe is premature.

FDA senior scientist John Matheson told attendees of a biotechnology conference last week that the FDA's four-year evaluation could be released any day. The remarks were originally reported by the Financial Times newspaper.

"I do expect it to be very soon. 'Very soon' when you're dealing with an FDA guidance could be this week or could be two months from now," says Scott Davis, president of stART Licensing, Inc., a company that patents cloning technologies for livestock, including the patent used to clone Dolly the sheep, the first successfully cloned mammal. Davis hosted the conference where Matheson reportedly made the comments.

"We're not ready to make an announcement," FDA spokeswoman Suzanne Luber says.

Many livestock producers have been waiting to use cloning as a way to copy breeding animals prized for their genetic and physical traits. Producers have so far held off using cloned animals in commercial food production at the FDA's request.

Reports Favor Cloning

A draft FDA assessment in October 2003 stated that cattle, pigs, sheep, and goats "derived from animal clones and their offspring are likely to be as safe to eat as food from their nonclone counterparts, based on all the evidence available."

The conclusion echoes a 2002 National Academy of Sciences study, which found "no current evidence" that food derived from clones or their offspring posed a safety risk.

Meat and dairy producers want to use clones to cut costs and to remove much of the guesswork from choosing prime breeding animals.

A prize breeding bull can cost upwards of $130,000 at auction, while cloning an existing bull costs about one-sixth the price, says Leah Wilkinson, director of food policy at the National Cattlemen's Beef Association. In addition, cloning can cut as much as three years from the time it now takes to select prime breeding animals from herds.

Source: WebMD Medical News

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