Part IV: Why do livestock breeders use cloning technology?

Part IV – Why do livestock breeders use cloning technology?
By Diane Broek

Through the cloning process, progressive producers can duplicate the animals that contribute the most value in their herds and forward their goals to produce more efficient, healthier animals, and better quality food products.

The influence of these animals, through breeding, can:

1). Create a more consistent supply of tender, flavorful beef, for example by focusing on cloning animals with superior quality grades to produce breeding stock.

2). Another example of a cloning application is in the case of an animal lost early in its breeding career due to death or injury; perhaps even before the value of its genetics were fully discovered. 

3). Cloning technology can also help extend an elite animal’s genetic influence to contribute to the improvement of food animal production, by increasing embryo or semen production through multiple cloned animals. 

4). Cloning also provides a unique opportunity for clients with superior castrated males (steers, geldings, barrows, and wethers) to produce an intact cloned male, for breeding purposes.

5).  Cloning has been used for the propagation of endangered species.  Trans Ova Genetics has participated in multiple projects where endangered or rare animals were multiplied using cloning technology.  In some cases, a cross species recipient with a similar gestation was successfully used due to the limited amount of animals in the endangered species pool. 

For more information check out our cloning page and Part III of the cloning blog series.