There's one less thing for the embryonic pet cloning industry to deal with as it seeks profitability: it will not be regulated by the federal Animal Welfare Act, according to a recent US Department of Agriculture ruling.
In February, the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) had asked the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) to force cloning firms to register as research facilities under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), and to "issue an interpretive rule to alert companies creating or attempting to create cloned or genetically engineered pets that they must register as a research facility" under the Act. In a July 8 letter, the USDA rejected the demand but said that Genetic Savings & Clone (GSC), which announced in December 2004 that it made the world's first sale of a cloned cat, would require an exhibitor license when displaying their clones at animal shows, as they did at the Cat Fanciers' ...
