Talk:Radio Discussion/Living on Earth/2008.1.18/Segment 4

Just a few thoughts... Cloning in farm animals was presented very optimistically in video report by Fox. It is said that it is possible to duplicate (multiplicate) the best producing animals. What they didn't said, that this approach leads to enormous loss of genetic variability (i.e. biodiversity) in farm animals. The situation is bad even now, when we use "just" the artificial insemination. Breeds of farm animals disappear every day. I'm not against the cloning as method, but I am afraid what it's large scale application could cause. This issue is well written in The New York Times article.
I was extremely surprised, when I heard of the speech of mr. Sundolf about labeling the products from clones, saying that
"It's not a matter of whether or not we think we should or not. It's a matter of—do we have the authority to require that companies label their product. And clearly in this case we don't believe that we do."
I am not from US, but to say the truth, I was very pissed off. Do not have the authority?? Here in EU it is required to have all the information about the animal/meat (including the places where it was born, raised, slaughtered). To label GMO and clone products is no question. Don't have the authority? Than who has? The purpose of the FDA is protect interests of farmers, meat industry or consumers? --Gbaor 06:38, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Actually it might be the USDA that has the authority. What I would worry even more about is if they made a law saying that meat could not be labeled as coming from non-cloned animals. There are efforts underway now to ban labeling "growth hormone-free" milk in many states, including here in Pennsylvania. --SB_Johnny | ^talk 13:40, 4 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, actually don't mind who has the authority, the point is, that it should be at least labeled to give customers the chance to choose.

Growth hormones? You are kidding... Growth hormones in milk you give to children? Even when it is known to cause health problems? And you even don't know which milk is safe? Now I'm just wondering... The use of growth hormones is long prohibited in the EU and also in other states. Please accept my overwhelming support in this case, to label the milk at all costs (Probably it won't help in the official decision, but you can say that you have supporters around the Globe. :) ) Ext. links: Open letter to governor of Pennsylvania (2007) - Growth hormones in milk - Growth hormones in meat --Gbaor 06:11, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

Well, you can still buy organic milk (which can't have hormones), but it's very expensive. You can also buy directly from the farmer, they just can't label it. --SB_Johnny | ^talk 11:03, 5 February 2008 (UTC)

And what if you live in a big city and you don't have money to buy the organic milk? There might be some differences in customer acceptance between US and EU (certainly are), but here even the existence of milk from hormone threated cows is irritating. My opinion is, that it should be prohibited, while the hormones get through to the milk and meat. It is the same, if the customers were hormone-threated themselfs. --Gbaor 11:24, 5 February 2008 (UTC)