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It will be the largest factory making cloned farm animals and open to Tianjin , the port a few hundred kilometers Beijing where in August the explosion of a deposit of hazardous materials released into the environment chemicals unspecified. According to the state news agency Xinhua, the agreement of 30 million Euros between Sinica (the company that produces stem) and Teda (the area for technological development of Tianjin) has already been signed and the factory is expected to open its doors as early as June 2016. At the production line dogs, calves, horses and “ non-human primates “. It will start with 100 thousand head per year to reach one million. Sinica, together with the South Korean Sooam, has already cloned 550 sniffer dogs working with police at airports and customs.
The first animal to be cloned in the new plant in Tianjin It will be the calf Japanese . So not a whim, but the scientific attempt to lower the cost of the high-quality beef , China’s so rare and therefore expensive. The news spreads in the Chinese media interview with a Xu Xiaochun , president and CEO of Boyalife group which owns Sinica. “We want to improve the Chinese farms starting with cattle and horses.” The idea is to cover 5 percent of the Chinese market of the cannon fodder of the highest quality.
“We are going to follow a path never beaten “. He said still excited to Guardian . “We are creating something that has never existed before.” True? Partly. In USA already do, but on a smaller scale. The European Parliament, however, voted in September against the use of cloned farm animals because they often suffer from more diseases than normal. This despite their both in Scotland cloned the first mammal: the Dolly . That was in 1996.
factory-farm-slaughter in question will occupy 14 thousand square meters. It is the result of cooperation between Sinica and the foundation of South Korean biotechnology Sooam. Together they have already cloned three puppies of Tibetan mastiffs, breed prized that can get to be worth a million euro per pet. The Sooam, which specialized in its cloning of dogs, also offers the service to wealthy citizens. With 100 thousand dollars and a sample of tissue favorite pet you can play it in the laboratory . The point is that aside from the aesthetics, there is no guarantee scientific that the character and abilities of the mother dog is transferred to his clones. And the history of Sooam is already tainted by a scandal. In 2004 its president Hwang Woo-suk had declared that he was the first to be able to derive stem cells from a cloned human embryo. News that was denied.
The Chinese side Boyalife, a conglomerate that operates since 2009 in 16 regions of China, not only will work on farm animals . According to information provided to the media by the founder himself, Tianjin will also produce “ models sick ” of large animals. According to Xu Xiaochun will be “the only research institute in the world” to work. In truth Bgi, a company in Shenzhen, already produces 500 “models sick” of pigs per year to experience drug . “In China we do things on a grand scale, but not only pursue profit. We want to leave a mark on history, “he stated Xu to the media last year. Another idea is to play species endangered . And here we are.
In fact, China is working to cloning technology for about 15 years, as reported by the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post. The establishment of an industry of cloned animals is definitely an important step to use the title of world leader. But despite this it will be difficult to convince consumers of a country devastated by food scandals that eating cloned beef poses no risk to health. Especially if brought close to the chemical exploded last August that resulted in the death of 165 people and released into an unspecified number of chemicals. “This meat will be sold in China?” Asks a user of Weibo, the Chinese Twitter. “Then perhaps it would be better that the appetizer before our leaders”.
Cecilia Attanasio Ghezzi from Beijing
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