'Frankenstein farming' fears

Alert Focus: As in the days of Noah Genesis 6:1-4 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. HERALD SUN - CONSUMER groups have warned of "Frankenstein farming" after US food chiefs declared meat and milk from cloned animals safe to eat. The US Food and Drug Administration concluded cloned animals were no different from conventional livestock and food from them will not need to be labelled as such. But the UK Food Commission, Britain's independent food watchdog, condemned the proposal as "a giant step in the wrong direction". If the FDA fully approves cloning, which is still on hold pending public consultation, US farmers will be able to export produce from these animals without any labelling. The proposals have horrified animal welfare and consumer groups. A report by FDA scientists Larisa Rudenko and John C. Matheson concludes that cloned animals are "virtually indistinguishable" from conventional livestock and therefore no labelling is required. In time, fast-growing, super-size animals could be made capable of delivering big profits for farmers. Consumer groups say not enough is known about the effects of eating cloned animals because the technology to produce them has been available only for a few years. They also point out many people might have an ethical objection and will want labelling to ensure they are allowed to make an informed choice about what they buy and eat. Carol Tucker Foreman, of the Consumer Federation of America, said the FDA was ignoring research showing cloning results in more animal deaths and deformities than other reproductive technologies. A UK Food Commission spokesman said: "I think consumers would be rightly wary and suspicious. We don't know if there would be any health risk, but many people would feel it is somehow wrong. It is a giant step in the wrong direction." http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,20987447-663,00.html FAIR USE NOTICE: This blog contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of religious, environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.