Daily News Update, Jan. 18, 2008

Cattlemen's Capitol Concerns: FDA will continue monitoring cloning technology

FDA said they will establish a close liaison with professional and scientific organizations, such as the International Embryo Transfer Society (IETS), the Federation of Animal Science Societies and the American Veterinary Medical Association, to collect and access new animal health and production data as they become available.

Additionally, FDA said they will work with these organizations to collect and maintain an international, centrally-located database of animal clone and progeny health and production data, which would be made publicly available.

In particular, FDA is currently engaged in an ongoing project with the IETS to produce a publicly available international database on the health of clones and the composition of food from them.

FDA anticipates this database becoming available in 2008.