The Global Trade of Cloned Meat

Until now commercial animal cloning has been generally limited to breeding stock. But Xu Xiaochun of the Chinese company Boyalife Genetics plans to mass produce animal clones for direct meat consumption. The research partnership between Boyalife and South Korean firm Sooam Biotech suggests the possibility of an international market for cloned food animals. Can cloned food imports be rejected by national governments?

This Article outlines the relevant considerations, and argues that a revised understanding of the “precautionary principle” can help to reconcile disparate, and perhaps ineffable, goals like producing high-quality meat and maintaining the integrity of the human experience.