A Glassful of Cloned Milk

We all remember Dolly the sheep - the first cloned animal that was announced to the public. Who can forget the whirlpool of debate and concern surrounding Dolly's creation? Virtually everyone had an opinion on Dolly and her creators, from the most established and credentialed scientist to Joe Moe on the street. Then, with the introduction of genetic engineering and custom-created organisms, cloning issues were demoted to the back seat while genetic manipulation took the wheel. Now, years later, cloned farm animals such as pigs and cows are reaching maturity, and farmers are anxious to reap the benefits of their prized clones.

The first products of cloned animals may be on supermarket shelves as early as next year! Currently, the FDA has issued an informal request for companies such as Infigen Inc, Advanced Cell Technology and PPL Therapeutics (the creator of Dolly the sheep) to refrain from selling milk, meat and products from cloned animals until further research on their safety is complete. What does this mean? Simply put, there are no laws or regulations in place that forbids companies or farmers with cloned animals from selling their milk or meat for public consumption. It is up to the companies and farmers to decide whether they will heed the FDA's request to temporarily keep products of cloned animals out of the food chain.

Pressures are mounting for individual farmers. As their prized cloned animals reach reproductive maturity, it is becoming financially necessary for these animals to prove their worth. Farmers are anxious to cash in on their investments - each clone typically exceeds $25,000 to produce. It is because of the expense of cloning that there are relatively few clones living on American farms today - less than 100, but their owners are developing itchy milking fingers.