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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

FDA Backs Meat and Milk from Clones; Where's USDA?

The Washington Post has obtained a copy of an FDA risk assessment that endorses the safety of food from cloned cattle, pigs, and goats. The assessment, long expected, comes on the heels of a European Union draft scientific opinion which came to similar conclusions. The Post has a summary of and excerpts from the risk assessment and background on the issue in an article published today.

Usually a risk assessment is an early stage of the regulatory process that informs officials responsible for making the ultimate decision. But in this case, the federal government does not need to regulate to allow food production from clones because there is currently a "voluntary moratorium," according to the Post. With FDA's endorsement, the agricultural industry may move more quickly with food production stemming from cloned animals.

According to the Post, FDA will be monitoring cloned animals should production increase:

Looking ahead, the report says FDA is collaborating with veterinary and scientific organizations, notably the International Embryo Transfer Society, to create a database on the health of new clones, which will help the agency track the field as the industry grows.

As the debate on cloned animals will surely continue, FDA should make this information publicly available.

Interestingly, neither the article nor the selected excerpts from the risk assessment mention USDA, the federal body in charge of monitoring and inspecting livestock and regulating meat products. Maybe it is more appropriate for FDA to conduct the risk assessment, but the continued safety of the nation's supply will depend on the work of inspectors in the field. Hopefully, FDA consulted USDA.