Dexter Daily Statesman

Clone-farmed burger anyone?

Posted Wednesday, July 11, 2007, at 3:58 PM
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According to reports, the creator of Dolly the cloned sheep has taken it upon himself to urge farmers to take up cloning as a way of producing "cheap food." Those same reports show that the U.S. expects to be eating clone-farmed burgers, pork and bacon within the next two years.

Supporters of cloning farm animals say that the cloned animals, such as cows, would be bigger and produce more milk and that pigs might be bigger, leaner and faster-growing. This would save producers money when it comes to expense of animal versus market price (to view the entire story visit http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/ar.... There is no "conceivable risk" to eating cloned meat, according to scientists.

However, even in the most successful cloning attempts, there are high numbers of clone-animal pregnancies that lead to abnormalities, miscarriages and stillbirths. In pigs, around 20 percent more piglets are born dead as opposed to the number of dead piglets with the age-old method.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration is expected to give approval for the technology, with or without a requirement for labelling, later this year.

Frankly, I'm not sure I would be comfortable eating an animal that had been created by a scientist in a lab somewhere, or an offspring or descendant of that animal. I believe I would pay a little more just for the comfort of mind that the meat I was eating came from an animal that was born the old-fashioned way.

I also think that I would like a label on the meat at the store, telling me which had been cloned and which hadn't. I think that buying cloned meat will be a choice that every individual has to make for themselves, not have made for them.

Would you eat cloned meat? Do you think you would ever be comfortable not knowing whether or not the meat you were eating came from a cloned animal? What's your opinion?

Comments
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Well, I'M not eating one of your cakes, that's for sure! We know what happened to your first four husbands!

I can think of worse things that your clone could steal, though! How about your fifth husband??? She might snatch him before you could fill him full of your "special cake"!!

-- Posted by goat lady on Thu, Jul 19, 2007, at 6:18 PM

Would your clone steal your clothes? Your makeup? And how could they tell who the guilty party was? I'm still confused - think I'll bake a cake.

-- Posted by letseatcake633 on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, at 8:41 PM

Get with the program, cake lady!! That's what happens when we blog hop all over the place!

I keep forgetting which blogs I've checked for new material - and which ones I haven't!!

I'm beginning to think I have the brain of a pencil..... Let's see, what was the original topic of this blog?? I have to scroll up to the top to find out!

Now I need to check Minnie's blog...I didn't get to pop my corn and freeze it last night, and she's gonna give me an F on this assignment!

-- Posted by goat lady on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, at 7:08 PM

Can you clone pencils? What size is a pullet bra? I'm so confused!

-- Posted by letseatcake633 on Wed, Jul 18, 2007, at 1:08 PM

So you've been blog-hopping, too! I think the pullet post was about bras, if I remember correctly.

Or was it pencils?

Pardon me - I have to go pop my corn and freeze it..... It's tomorrow's assignment for Minnie's cooking class...

-- Posted by goat lady on Tue, Jul 17, 2007, at 9:51 PM

Goat lady - you could clone your goats then stamp them jumbo, extra large, large, medium, and pullet to tell them apart! Oh never mind...that's another blog.

-- Posted by letseatcake633 on Mon, Jul 16, 2007, at 10:46 PM

If they would eat that would mean I would have to feed him. Another reason not to clone.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Mon, Jul 16, 2007, at 10:41 PM

If you found your clone threatening, you could always feed him some of the cake lady's special recipe......

-- Posted by goat lady on Mon, Jul 16, 2007, at 10:11 PM

Thats what I thought. Nasty business, cloning.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Mon, Jul 16, 2007, at 8:14 PM

Hahahaha!! Okay, you can stay. I wouldn't want to lose your stimulating conversation.

You posted this entry late last night, after I went to bed - so you may not have seen Sasha's other cloning blog yet. Reminded me of that science fiction I've read all my life. In fact, there is a Ray Bradbury short story that exactly fits the scenario that you just described! Husband buys clone, clone falls in love with wife, locks husband up in box and takes over wife...

-- Posted by goat lady on Mon, Jul 16, 2007, at 4:40 PM

Don't be mean gl. Cloning is a hot political topic. Well it was during the election. Let us stay, I promise we won't get crazy.

Would you like to have a clone? I have thought about what the consequences would be with that. Could be very interesting. Could you trust that dude with your wife when you went to work. I bet before long I would be feeding him cloned something to get rid of him. I wonder if you could be guilty of abusing your own clone? How in the heck could he get a birth certificate and social security number? We were talking about cloned food though weren't we. Second thought, changed my mind I might not be for cloning anything. I have no idea.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 10:27 PM

FOR PETE'S SAKE! Now you three have hijacked Sasha's blog!!! I had no idea that Jabelson would take a break from breathing fire on Corey's site to hop over to this little innocuous blog!

Don't you dare start posting websites over here, Jabelson!! You and your two nemesis...nemesises? nemesisi? oh, heck! you and your two fellow combatants go back to your own website and let us girls use this one!! You're spreading your liberal vs. conservative dogma all over the non-political sites!!!

hehe

-- Posted by goat lady on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 8:43 PM

No, I just thought beings you made comments about my two MSNBC websites, I would show you the top story at that time from Fox news. I thought that was a very Top Newsworthy story.

-- Posted by jabelson on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 5:23 PM

Jabelson:

What does that news story have to do with cloning?

Was she serving cloned pizza?

-- Posted by Obadieh on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 1:10 PM

Some people have a lot of beef and won't eat it. Not hungry enough yet I guess.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 11:59 AM

I'm sure foreign nations with starving citizens relying on organizations like Heifer International for sources of food would love the idea of cloning sources of meat.

-- Posted by jabelson on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 10:08 AM

I don't think I would mind cloning if it was worth it. I can see some benefits in some cases. How about something that we know is one of a kind. I think I might would like to have copies of it. I think it would have to be an extreme circumstance though. I doubt that I would want to do it for food.

I don't think I would want to go so far as to clone people.

I would like to have a copy of my old dog. Don't want to eat him though. Face is too pretty.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 8:43 AM

and...do you read those stories, or do you just see a website that isn't Fox news and decide it can't be anything worth reading?

From 'Top Stories'

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,2892...

There you go, a nice story fresh off the Fox website...nice soft news story, because at Fox we don't want any hard news that might hurt anyone's feelings.

-- Posted by jabelson on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 4:49 AM

Hehe, all of you get together and quote Rush, Bill, Sean, and Ann to me. I'm waiting patiently to be 'blown out of the water.'

-- Posted by jabelson on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 4:42 AM

Interesting blog. Cloned meat = no eat.

No thanks.

I agree with Vambfly. Why are we cloning anything? Don't seem natural to me!

sides' could you imagine a army of cloned Jabelson's madly clicking on any website that promises

"Breaking World and US news stories"

*coughs MSNBC*

and then rapidly getting onto these blogs to "enlighten" us?

LOL

-- Posted by Obadieh on Sun, Jul 15, 2007, at 1:41 AM

Not talking to him anymore. Not gonna do it. Not prudent.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 11:27 PM

What?? I just get back from a nap, and you two are plotting to kick me off the island?? I can't let my guard down one minute, can I?

Clones taking turns....That's good! Your nap must have refreshed you exceedingly.

Now if you can just get some help on Corey's blog... After all the nice things you said about Obedieh, the least he can do is bring in the big guns and blast jabelson out of the water!

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 10:50 PM

This is one lively little blog. I love it. Don't worry I.B. We'll form an alliance and vote goat lady off the island. Oops. Wrong forum.

-- Posted by Ducky on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 9:57 PM

I am not making fun of anyone's name. See I told you I was afraid to post here. I just knew I would get it wrong and I guess I did. Catch and release. Glad my wife isn't aware of that rule. I think I will take another nap. Maybe you all should be nice to us senile old men. Hey, don't you all nap or do you have clones that take turns on here?

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 6:27 PM

"Cloned goat"?????? AH! How did I miss that little dig?????

Now you're hitting me below the belt, big guy! Bad enough to eat goats - let alone clone 'em and THEN eat 'em!

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 2:41 PM

Somehow I knew there was a fourth husband..... How many more are you gonna dig up for us???????? (Get it, get it??)

As for you, Ducky - You're gonna be in deep do-do when I.B. Le Truth wakes up from his afternoon nap at the Sunshine Rest Home.......

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 2:37 PM

My fourth husband subscribed to the catch and release program. God rest his soul.

-- Posted by letseatcake633 on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 12:53 PM

I wouldn't eat a duck, either........

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 12:01 PM

Catch and release program for husbands and wives!! I just caught that, ducky!!

Good one! Hahahahahaha!

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 12:00 PM

Okay, Sasha, it's your turn to interject some more information, here! Your blog is being hijacked by goatherders, cake-eaters, ducks, and truth-tellers!

I live out in the boonies, and I see no shortage of cattle! (Even though, like the cake lady, I wouldn't eat one!) (or goats, either, for that matter!)

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 11:42 AM

I don't think I would knowingly eat cloned meat for the simple reason that I don't agree with the whole concept of playing God and wouldn't want to support it.

I'm curious though, as I don't know much on the subject. Is there a particular reason they are cloning animals? I mean, beyond just scientific discovery. We aren't running out of cows are we?

-- Posted by vambfly on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 10:39 AM

We probably won't know if the meat sitting in shrink wrapped packages at the store is from a cloned animal or not. The manufacturers won't volunteer the information unless laws force them to. I would probably eat meat from cloned animals. There's not much less "old fashioned" in cloning than in artificial insemination.

By the way - someone with a pen name of I.B. Le Truth shouldn't make fun of names like goat lady or letseatcake (or ducky for that matter).

As for husbands (or wives) - I subscribe to the catch and release program.

-- Posted by Ducky on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 10:02 AM

Oh goat lady, thank you for the compliment. You ARE astute. Perhaps I.B. Le Truth will start to see little cow faces in his dreams and convert. One can only hope. As for me, veggies and cake will suffice.

-- Posted by letseatcake633 on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 9:53 AM

Judging from your political comments on Corey Noles' blog site, I doubt that you have to worry about saying anything stupid - unless you do it deliberately.

I'm sure the cake lady and I wouldn't want to intimidate anyone with our profound observations on life, would we, Flossie Mae???

Now you'll pardon me while I go mow the goat pen.......

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 9:41 AM

I know, thats what I was saying. I'm skeered of saying the wrong thing and looking real stupid or offending the two of you. Unitentionally of course, not wanting to make enemies here.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 9:03 AM

Oh, come, now, I.B. Le Truth, don't let our pseudonyms fool you! The cake lady and I are obviously quite astute in our observations!

And look at the wide range of life experiences! She's managed to come up with three husbands already, and we still have lots of time for more!

-- Posted by goat lady on Sat, Jul 14, 2007, at 7:29 AM

You know, it just isn't fair to try to post an intelligent response here to a goat lady and a cake eater. No way could I get it right, but I am still going to eat meat, including cloned goat if they sell it and maybe have cake afterward. What I haven't had the opportunity to eat in my life has hurt me a lot more than what I did eat.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Fri, Jul 13, 2007, at 8:49 PM

I don't think I could eat anything that had a face.

-- Posted by letseatcake633 on Fri, Jul 13, 2007, at 5:48 PM

I love those veggie burgers!!

-- Posted by goat lady on Fri, Jul 13, 2007, at 7:26 AM

Dog gone if I can understand the difference. You wouldn't believe what is in a hot dog right now. If you will eat that you can eat a cloned steak. Heck, veggie burgers are already cloned vegetables I think. Must be, cause it taste like chicken to me.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Thu, Jul 12, 2007, at 11:07 PM

Well, it seems that I'm the only regular responder who hasn't responded to this topic, so, since Corey's subject has gotten way out of my league, I'll contribute to this one!

How can meat from a cloned animal taste any different from any other animal?? Of course, I'm not a scientist, so I don't understand how the body of a cloned animal would be different from the original. Do we eat their chromosomes and get infected with them, like Night of the Living Dead?

Is there a biologist out there??

-- Posted by goat lady on Thu, Jul 12, 2007, at 8:54 PM

I have been pretty hungry before and I tell you that I would pretty much eat anything that is put in front of me. I won't tell you just what I would eat for the sake of being polite, clone or no clone.

-- Posted by I.B. Le Truth on Thu, Jul 12, 2007, at 7:49 PM

I no eat cloned meat.

-- Posted by Obadieh on Thu, Jul 12, 2007, at 2:42 PM

If the government decides that this is legitimately safe meat to ingest, I think I will still let time go by before I rush out and begin sampling cloned meats for myself. I do wonder exactly how safe this meat is, but then again there are many things we do each day (talking on cell phones for example) that may wind up having less than desired consequences fifty years from now. Another question I have is regarding taste. I know that there have been attempts in the past to grow vegetables in alternative environments. Usually these experiments yield fruits that just don't cut it. I wonder if this meat will taste the same, better, or worse than the real deal. In a perfect world, this cloned meat would be safer and cheaper to produce. I think this would be a great benefit to countries where many people are starving, and I think that would be the greatest benefit that this cloned meat could eventually provide.

-- Posted by jabelson on Thu, Jul 12, 2007, at 10:07 AM