US biotech firm clones herd of cows

29 September 1999

US biotech firm clones herd of cows

By FWi staff

A WHOLE herd of cows has been cloned by a US-based biotechnology company, according the Chicago Tribune newspaper yesterday (Tuesday).

The newspaper reported that 40 cows were cloned by Infigen, a biotech company based in the US state of Wisconsin.

Researchers told the paper that the development showed cloning could be used to increase agricultural output as well as fighting human disease.

Scientists are breeding calves from seven different original cells and expect to have more than 100 cloned cows within a year, the paper reported.

Ten of the calves which are genetically identical because they are from one foetal cell, are expected to be on show at the World Dairy Exposition in the US on Friday.

The experiment was part of Infigens with Pharming, a Dutch company interested in attaching human genes to cow cells to produce human medicine from cows milk.

But cloned dairy cows and beef animals also promise big benefits for milk producers and livestock farmers, believes the company.

Cows of the same genetic structure are more easily managed by dairy producers because they respond similarly to the same diet and environment.

Milk production, uniformity in milk quality and consistency in the content of milk are all potentially improved with the advancement of cloned cows, it claims.

Dairymen could in the future select cows according to specific qualities and then clone these animals so the herd is identified for this purpose.

Animals with similar genetic backgrounds could be reared to produce meat with desirable nutritional and eating qualities for specific customer demands.

Overall, this cloning technology can help dairy and beef producers improve the efficiency and profitability of their operation, it says.