Vegetarians everywhere will not be too fond of the fact that the FDA has just approved the cloning of certain livestock in order to produce higher grade meat to consumers. The Gorilla has several friends who are vegetarians for more than one reason (most concerning the cruel and inhumane treatment of livestock) and this is sure to set those people into a tailspin. But for those who love their steak and red meats, this will come as great news to them. It is a meat lover’s dream to be sure, and it will all but guarantee the most juicy succulent steaks as a result.
The process started a mere 10 years ago with the successful cloning of “Dolly” the sheep, and although there hasn’t been much successful cloning of sheep since then, scientist have successfully cloned cattle and other animals with great success. As a result, the FDA has approved the cloning of meats and milk from cattle, pigs, and goats, saying it is now safe for human consumption. But how safe is it really?
Reports of organ abnormalities, early deaths of clones, and higher-than-normal susceptibility to disease have caused concern among consumers and activist organizations that say there is insufficient scientific data to support the FDA’s announcement. But scientists argue that the meat is as perfect as meat can possibly be, and most claim that is much safer by far than meat from normal cows. “With cloning you get a genetically identical animal to the animal that you want to clone,” says Leah Wilkinson, director of Austin, Texas-based livestock cloning leader ViaGen. “With normal breeding … you have two parents — it’s a sharing of genetic material, and you get whatever combination comes out.”
But still, Americans are a tough bunch to convince with almost 65% of respondents to a 2006 survey conducted by the Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology, stating that they would “rather not eat it.” The Gorilla will have to concur with the 65% at this particular juncture, because in his opinion, the need for “perfection” has gone just too far. Many people are not fans of cloning and for them it is a moral issue, simply because they feel it crosses some very delicate lines. The world has done okay without ”perfect” meats and milks thus far and many people have had a great, juicy, near-perfect steak, despite cloning. So the Gorilla must ask….why does the human race continually feel the need to fix things that aren’t even broken?