Cloned milk and meat 'safe to eat'

Milk and meat from cloned cattle appear to be safe for human consumption, scientists said today.

A pilot study in the US and Japan found that both met industry standards when compared with milk and meat from normal animals of similar age and breed.

Two beef and four dairy clones derived from one bull and a dairy cow using cell transfer technology were used in the study.

Analysis of protein, fat and other variables revealed no significant differences in milk from the ordinary dairy cows.

More than 100 meat quality criteria were also examined and 90 showed no significant variation between normal and cloned beef.

Levels of fat and fatty acids in the cloned beef were higher than normal but fell within industry standards and were seen as desirable qualities in the cloned Japanese Black breed of bull.

The leader of the study team, Jerry Yang of the University of Connecticut, said all the parameters they examined were "within the normal range of beef and dairy products approved for human consumption".

But he stressed that more research was needed.