The European Union is proceeding more slowly than the Food and Drug Administration did during its investigation into the efficacy and safety of cloned meat and milk. While the United States has already given industry the go-ahead to begin farming the cloned animals, the EU is taking a more measured approach, even with the European Food Safety Authority’s public statement that there is no expectation of additional environmental risks. What is likely a contributing factor to the prolonged process is the European public's resistance to the idea. It should come as no surprise, considering the recent outcry over genetically modified foodstuffs making their way into stores.
Now a new study, commissioned by Britan’s Food Standards Agency, has found that UK consumers feel that they are being railroaded into accepting the meat and dairy without proper testing and safety checks. Participants also struggled to “identify any convincing benefits” to cloned farm animals, citing their worry over “interfering with Mother Nature” and the inevitable slide toward human cloning. While the meat may very well prove safe, the survey participants are right to worry about the efficacy of the system—a genetically identical herd or flock of animals could readily be wiped out by one particularly strong infection. It is genetic diversity that sustains populations through difficult times; by removing that bedrock defense, we risk more damage than good.
Via Guardian
Whether they are clones or not, each animal is a sentient being capable of suffering. If you have ever been to a slaughterhouse you will know many of these animals are not rendered unconscious by the bolt gun but are sent down the slaughterline alive and fully conscious while their pelvis's are broken as they are hoisted up by a chain wrapped round one hind leg, then skinned alive, screaming in pain, and dismembered limb by limb. Slaughterhouse workers say they are so used to live animals going through this process they totally switch off to it.
It makes me sick that humans are congratulating themselves on creating a new type of animal only to kill it. Would you do this to your cat or your dog? In some countries they do, and you are horrified. Why are you then not horrified that it happens to another animal? Cows, pigs, chickens and all other animals farmed for meat are caught up in the biggest undeclared war the world has ever seen. The war on the animal nations. They did nothing to provoke this cruelty.
Humans are healthier without eating meat. Meat is the only source of dietary cholesterol. Milk causes osteoprosis. Farmed animals contribute more to global warming than the entire world transport system. So why are we creating more animals for this unsustainable industry?