Dolly for Dinner? Assessing Commercial and Regulatory Trends in Cloned Livestock

As cloning technologies become more widely established, will products enter the food chain sooner than regulatory agencies and the public might be prepared for? It is over ten years since the birth of Dolly was announced amidst enormous media attention. Today, the cloning of livestock animals is being pursued with a wide range of applications in mind, including improved breeding efficiencies, enhanced/enriched food traits and even the preservation of endangered species and cloning of pets and sporting animals. Yet the extent to which animal cloning for these purposes becomes widely adopted remains unclear: all new technologies must overcome technical, economic, regulatory and societal barriers. This article is based on the findings from an extensive study of animal cloning and genetic modification co-ordinated by the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) (Box 1). In this paper we focus on animal cloning for food production, reviewing the state-of-the art in cloning technologies; emerging food-related commercial products; the current state of regulatory and trading frameworks, particularly in the EU and US; and the potential for public controversy. We suggest that regulatory agencies would be wise to clarify their regulatory stances while also undertaking public engagement exercises. The emergence of food products derived from animal cloning raises numerous ethical and policy issues, but a consistent international system for the regulation and trade of such products does not yet exist. This poses a potential barrier to the animal biotechnology industry and also increases the likelihood of public resistance.JRC.J.5-Agriculture and Life Sciences in the Econom