1/17/08 Okay On Cloned Beef

Okay on Cloned Beef. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. A very few years ago the only time you heard the word "cloning" was during a sci-fi movie but now the whole idea of cloning has become mainstream especially in the ag industry. Cloning has become a way of taking the best of the best and replicating it over and over again. What that would mean is good consistent meat and milk from cattle, swine and goats. But how about consuming cloned products? Is it safe? According to the Food and Drug Administration it is as safe to consume as the food we eat everyday. Dr. Stephen Sundloff - Director of FDA's Center of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition made the announcement Tuesday. The decision clears the way for the sale of products from cloned animals. But USDA Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Bruce Knight says it could be years before cloned products are available on grocery shelves. In the meantime - he says he wants the food industry to continue its current voluntary moratorium on selling these products. KNIGHT: We will be convening the industry leaders to talk about what are the concerns that folks have, what the steps needed in order to be able to move forward. Consumers have voiced concerns about eating meat and drinking milk from cloned animals - leading the nation's largest cloning companies to consider a voluntary program to help shoppers avoid the food from clones. One way to do that - a "clone-free" label. According to Sundloff - that will not be required - and really isn't necessary - but. SUNDLOFF: If a company wanted to label their products affirmatively that they came from animals that were clones, they would have the ability to do that. If they wanted to be able to label their products as certifying that they were not produced from animal clones with the right caveats that could be accomplished too. So there can be labeling that allows the public to have that kind of information. And if the consumers demand labeling - Knight says they will likely get it. KNIGHT: We have a very robust system in the United States where when the consumers request a particular thing the industry is able to respond and provide them that which they are demanding. As for trade and economic implications - Knight says USDA will work with FDA to study the impact of commercializing milk and meat from animal clones. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.