1/2/2007 Cloning Okay

Cloned Milk O.K. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has declared - after four-years of study - that food from cloned animals is just as safe as that from animals produced conventionally. FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine concluded milk and meat from cloned cattle  swine  and goats - used to boost disease resistance and meat quality is as safe to eat as the food Americans eat every day. Center Director Steven Sundloff says his researchers concluded that cloning is just another assisted reproductive technology used by agriculture. SUNDLOFF: FDA scientists review hundreds of studies on the health of clones; they're detailed veterinary records and studies that compare meat and milk from animal clones with those same products from animals bred through other assisted reproductive technologies. Their review indicated that the cloning poses no unique risk to the health of animals. All of the health effects that have been noted in clones have previously been seen with in vitro fertilization, embryo splitting or even natural mating. Findings that Sundloff says agree with a National Academy of Sciences report released in 2002. So  Sundloff says FDA is not inclined  so far  to require labeling of such products. SUNDLOFF: Assuming that these risk assessments as we've published it is not altered in terms of the scientific content that finds that the food from these animals is no different materially than food from other animals. It would be unlikely that FDA would require labeling in those cases. Still  until FDA has reviewed public comments being accepted until April second. SUNDLOFF: Until we have a chance to review the comments from the public, we will continue to ask livestock breeders and producers to refrain from introducing food products from these animal clones and their off-spring into commerce. Foreign U.S. customers are also starting to ask questions. Sundloff acknowledged a fear of the U.S. industry that foreign customers might use cloning as another excuse to block U.S. sales. But he added that hopefully  the public comment process would "sort out" the issues so it doesn't affect international trade. Consumer groups are urging labeling and say they will ask food companies and grocery stores not to sell products from cloned animals. The U.S. would be the first nation to approve food from cloned animals. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.