The ethics debate over animal cloning

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Not surprisingly, the Food and Drug Administration’s determination that meat and dairy products from cloned animals are safe to eat has sparked no small controversy. Critics were quick to level a number of charges against the practice, including claims that animals involved in the process are harmed.

In its 678-page draft risk assessment, the FDA sought to allay concerns about the welfare of cloned animals, stating: “(Somatic cell nuclear transfer) can pose an increased frequency of health risks to animals involved in the cloning process, but these do not differ qualitatively from those observed in other (assisted reproductive technologies) or natural breeding.”

In response, a coalition of consumer, environmental, and animal welfare organizations filed a petition with the FDA seeking a moratorium on foods produced from cloned animals and establishment of mandatory rules for premarket food safety and environmental review of cloned foods.