Sorry, I haven't posted a link to any story, but I'm sure many of you have heard that the offspring of a cloned cow has been slaughtered and eaten in the UK, which according to the FSA is illegal.
I've got a couple of questions about this and I'm hoping that someone can enlighten me.
Why clone a cow in the first place? I'm presuming there's some sort of benefit, be it financial or otherwise, but none of the news reports are explaining that. Perhaps I should start watching Newsround, lol! So what's the reason this cow was cloned and how did it's offspring end up in the UK?
My other main question is, what are the potential dangers of eating a cloned animal, or in this case a cloned animal's child?
I find the idea of cloning a little bit weird, but can see there's possible benefits when it comes to stem cells or endangered species. I had a quick Google on the subject earlier. There's already services in the States who offer deceased pet cloning. Eek! That gives me the willies. It raises questions about memories and the soul... Would a cloned animal/person have a new soul and a new personality?
Hi TigerLily,
I heard on the radio that the cows were heavier and gave more milk. I found this website http://bio.org/foodag/animal_biotech/factsheet.asp
Apparently they entered the country as embryos, flown in from the USA.
The GM wheel just seems to keep rolling.
Judy
It raises questions about memories and the soul... Would a cloned animal/person have a new soul and a new personality?
Hi...I've wondered that too...would be interested to see what others think
xxx
Hi,
Basically they are, as was said above, bigger cows which produce vast amounts of milk.
However the way we treat cows and goats at the moment doesn't bode well for these cloned cows. Cows and goats at the moment are bred to produce more and more milk so much so that I have seen goats that can no longer walk because their udders are too large with milk. It must be very painful for them.
We have always tried to create the best breed possible but cloning is unnatural. I wish we could return to a more natural way of being and let the animals produce only the amount of milk that is natural, and painless, for them.
Christina
Eugh. Having read the page that Judy linked to, I am frankly sickened. It might be 'safe', but ethically, it's way off.
It disgusts me that living beings can literally be treated like walking food products in this way.
And I agree Christina, modern dairy farming has become very cruel. I considered becoming vegan for a while, but confess, that while most of the stuff I eat at home is vegan, I find it hard to give up dairy altogether. So I aim to get organic dairy products as the animals do (as far as I understand after seeing a documentary a few years ago) have a better quality of life.
Cloning is really dodgy territory.
Edited to add with regards the more natural farming methods: I see the old Native American way of life being the ideal way humans can live with, eat, use and still respect animals. They would hunt the buffalo, then use almost every part of the animal for tools, shelter, clothing, etc. I know there are people in various parts of the world who still live in a similar way.
I dont know much about this whole cow cloning thing but I think its another manifestation of our over-commercialised industrialised food industry pushing the boundaries of nature in order to make more and more profits.
I passionately believe in preserving natural food sources and from that point of view I'm against cloning. I feel that the responsibility lies with each one of us - I wouldn't advocate veganism but would at the least advocate a more moderate consumption of dairy products for all of us in our diet thereby hoping to reduce the demand for dairy produce generally.
Kaif