In the UK, its been revealed that meat from the offspring of a cloned cow entered the food chain last year and was eaten.

Two bulls born from embryos collected in the US were slaughtered – and the meat from one was sold on for food.

Experts say produce from healthy clones or their offspring is not thought to pose a health risk:

“The evidence in America for many years where they have been analysing the products of both meat and milk from cloned animals is that it is identical to normally produced milk.” said Brendan Curran of the Queen Mary University in London.

These days, dairy farming in the UK is a heavily industrialised business. Critics say this latest controversy is a sign of things to come:

“Often after just three milk cycles the animals are in such poor condition that they have to be prematurely culled. So we are already moving away from a traditional dairy to a very industrial dairy sector in this country. Cloning is just going to exacerbate this.” said Peter Stevenson of Compassion in World Farming.

Under European law, foodstuffs, including milk, produced from cloned animals must be tested and authorised before they are sold.

Last month, MEPs said regulation was not good enough and renewed their appeals for a total ban.

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