Cloned meat and GMOs

It looks as if cloned meat and GMOs will be coming our way.

We need to have it labeled at the very least.

If this disturbs you as much as it does me, please help do something about it.

You can get the "Genetically Engineered Food Right to Know Act" passed into law!

http://thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/0 ... concludes/

http://www.thecampaign.org/forums/showthread.php?t=997

Here is what you can do to make a difference.

http://www.thecampaign.org/main_label.php

Just a question here. Are you bothered by eating produce? I cant think of any produce I grow that is not modified or cloned in some way. Take corn for an example, it was originaily a grass and thru years of genetically modifying it by cross pollination we have large beautiful ears as opposed to a weak seed head. I grow mostly heirloom plants. Most heirlooms were developed by a long process of crosing other varieties to get the qualities you need for a plant. An heirloom will grow back true to its seed as opposed to a F1 hybrid. I know the meat thing can seem strange at first but we have been improving our herds for years by selecting better breeding stocks. Whats the difference here? Just asking, not looking to start anything.

[Robin Garr]

Whats the difference here? Just asking, not looking to start anything.

Just for the sake of the debate, I see a pretty clear difference between developing natural crosses and hybrids through breeding, and "chemistry-set" evolution at the level of genetic manipulation.

I don't have a knee-jerk reaction to GM per se, but I'm a little suspicious whether the corporate sector can be trusted to put health and safety ahead of profits without stiff regulation and supervision.

Hey John. thanks for asking.

I personally am concerned about the cloned and genetically modified produce. I just don't think we know enough about it to introduce into our mainstream food chain. The fact that it won't be labeled is my big concern though. I just want a choice not to eat it.

The huge seed companies such as Monsanto, that have even greater control over our lives than the oil companies are just running amuck with the genetic modifying. ..For example, seeds are now designed to destroy themselves after a year ,so farmers can't carry seed over to the next year. Surely there is a possibility that these crops designed to genetically break down could hurt us down the road? We don't know.

Or how about corn with RID or pest asides written in it's DNA? Weird stuff. Let's just label it. These seeds spread and create hybrid crops all over. once the crops have changed they are contaminated and lost. Bio diversity will be threatened eventualy.

There are some great court cases going on right now. Farmers losing crops because theirs have been contaminated and now owned by the patent owners i.e. Monsanto.

I try to stay as organic as possible. That is just a personal choice. You really are what you eat. Unfortunately it is not always affordable and there is usually a limited choice.

I do believe it's getting better. Great local stores like Valu Market and Rainbow Blossom to name a couple have really begun to get competitive with non organic produce. A big leap.

Organic produce is my business so I have a vested interest in the Genetic modifying laws. It amazes me that the EC have allowed it to be sold in Europe. I'm sure they will have to label it.

Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

Cloning is just weird.... what's wrong with the old fashioned way? I don't get it?

Once what we ingest is broken down into it's base protein, lipid, and carbohydrate constituants "cloning" is irrelavant. I have more health concerns as it relates to antibiotics, hormones, and slow viruses (ie. Jakob-Cruetzfeldt).

Identical twins are genetically clones - so that doesn't bother me....appropriate use of cloning will likely reduce the use of other potentially harmful agents that are currently routine.

Cloning is just weird.... what's wrong with the old fashioned way? I don't get it?

There really is no "old fashioned" way and hasn't been for a long time.

"Old fashioned way"?

Ummm . . . I grew up on a small farm, mumble-mumble years ago and even waaay back then, the farmer bought the "little swimmers" and the vet . .. um . . .took care of things.

Cows don't exactly "date."

It amazes me that the EC have allowed it to be sold in Europe. I'm sure they will have to label it.

I agree, Chrisotpher, but that allowance has much to do with U. S. pressure. The EC and some individual European countries have tried to ban and/or require labeling of GM foods at various points. The U.S. is the largest exporter of GM foods and our federal government spent goodness knows how many tax dollars fighting the EC's right to do so under international trade rules. They even claimed that labeling GM foods amounted to anti-competitive practice.

It's been a while since I've read up on the topic but I know the WTO ruled against the EC at one point, outraging environmental groups worldwide.

I sure am glad we stand so strong for democracy.

...Cows don't exactly "date."

That gave me a good laugh!

You mean they don't go to the moovies? {groan}

...Cows don't exactly "date."

That gave me a good laugh!

You mean they don't go to the moovies? {groan}

That would be a great way to label meat Moovied cows or non Moovied, cloned or not.

I understand that we don't allow all cows to date, just the lucky few but they are still inseminated and not cloned be it artificially or not.

I agree Jeff, must have been serious presure, we have a surplus of GMO seeds needing selling.

http://ga3.org/campaign/Cloning_Label
Support the Cloned Food Labeling Act in the House and Senate

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last month that the
agency will likely approve the sale of cloned foods this year. FDA’s
action flies in the face of widespread scientific concern about the
risks of food from clones, and ignores the animal cruelty and
troubling ethical concerns that the cloning process brings. What's
worse, FDA indicates that it will not require labeling on cloned
food, so consumers will have no way to avoid these experimental foods.

In response to FDA's pending approval, US Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-
MD) has introduced Senate Bill S.414, the Cloned Food Labeling Act,
and U.S. House Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced an
identical bill, H.R. 992, in the House just a few weeks later.

Tell Congress to label food from cloned animals!

All I'm sayin is for right now let's get this stuff labeled.

Just curious....who is "widespread scientific conern"? I'm directly related to that community and I don't know of any sweeping concern in this regard. Most of the concern I see is media driven from special interest groups and not directly from scientists or physicians.

Clearly there are ethical issues in genetic engineering as it relates to the human genome. Since animals as a food source are slaughtered anyway....I'm unclear as to the ethical conerns in that regard beyond how one feels about eating meat.

Well it looks like there isn't enough concern to stop us from selling it. I just don't trust the system personally.

I'm all for modern technologies. Safer, efficient and more humane ways to feed ourselves. I just want to wait another hundred years before I make mind up on something like this. Cloning and passing along weak genes in my food is a little scary to me. Actually altering DNA in foods too.

Lets give it some time before we call it safe. Until then I would like to know if it is in my food or not. So a simple label shouldn't be a problem.

I'm still sort of lost on where cloning is better than artificial inseminating. I'm not being facetious but does anyone know? Is it to grow them faster?

Clones occur in nature all the time. Many simple species reproduce by cloning, identical twins are clones genetically.

If your worried eat organic meat.

Thanks for the advice... I'm with ya. I meant in the context of mass harvesting. Do the animals grow faster? when cloned. Anyway I think this is a very interesting path forward and I think it's good to talk about it.

We all have choices I personally don't even eat meat I'm terrified of GMOs though, big time. There is no reversing that pandoras box once opened.

I'm still sort of lost on where cloning is better than artificial inseminating. I'm not being facetious but does anyone know? Is it to grow them faster?


It IS NOT to grow them faster. It's about breeding/developing the perfect animal and the pecentages in doing so. In a "nut shell" (no pun intended). When breeding "the old fasioned way" both sire and dam will carry dormant chromsomes (as far as 3-4 generations back) that can, but not always be undesirable. When you clone, you get that exact animal that was cloned, and any undesirable traits would stay dormant.

Try and think of it like if you were to breed athletes Just b/c you (hypothetically speaking sp?) breed Michael Jordan w/ Sheryl Swoops doesn't guarentee a superstar basketball player. It increases your chances 10 fold, but no guarentee. But if you were to clone MJ, that would be a guarentee. Like I said this is the "short version". I'd be more specific but I'm going to be late for work