Frequently Asked Questions about Clone International

1. What exactly is cloning?

  • Put simply, at Clone International we take a tissue sample from an elite animal say a piece of skin from a bull, then we place one of these cells containing all of the elite genetic material, into a 'host' cell which has had the nucleus (DNA) material removed. This then produces an embryo that is genetically identical to the original bull. (See diagram The Cloning Process)

2. Why use Clone International?

  • Using Clone International will allow you to preserve all of your elite animal's genetic. Creating a cell line (for future cloning) of your most elite animals will enable you to protect these most valuable genetics from future infertility, disease, injury and death
  • As an elite animal breeder you can use cloning to increase and secure the supply of elite semen and elite embryos. 
  • Clone International can create a bull from a high performing steer or create a ram from a wether or a stallion from a gelding.
  • Clone International can help you to supply proven bulls for natural breeding. 

3. Who is Clone International?

  • Clone International is the only Australasian company with a commercial license to apply the Nuclear Transfer Technology that produced Dolly the sheep, to clone cattle, sheep and horses for agricultural purposes. Other cloned animals may be bred in Australia and New Zealand for research purposes only.
  • Clone International has successfully cloned several elite dairy bulls in Australia. The first two, DONOR Alpha and DONOR Beta, are copies of the Number One Australian Holstein Bull, DONOR were born in late 2001.(see picture home page). NUCLEAR Alpha, a copy of another top Holstein Bull, NUCLEAR and was born in early 2002.
  • Clone International has signed Joint Venture Agreements with some of the top breeders in Australia and New Zealand. Clone International has signed agreements with RAB Australia and Ambreed New Zealand which will lead to the cloning of more of Australasia's top Dairy Bulls.

4. How much does cloning cost?

5. What process does Clone International use when doing animal cloning?

  • Clone International employs the patented Nuclear Transfer Technology developed by the Roslin Institute in Scotland, that produced Dolly, the sheep.

6. Will this mean that Australians are soon going to be eating cloned animals?

  • No, the cloning technology will be used by Clone International to clone only the best stud cattle and sheep for breeding purposes only, not for human consumption. 

7. Won't the animals that are cloned produce offspring that are eaten? 

  • Yes but these calves and lambs will not be clones, their parents would be. Because of the costs of applying this technology, it will not be profitable to breed animals for meat this way. It will be used to replicate elite, superior (and very valuable) stud animals.

8. What about when the bull is finished with, won't he end up being sold for meat (sausages), how can you prevent this?

  • We will be talking to our customers to address any concerns. An industry code of practice is one way in which we could ensure that concerns were addressed

9. What is Clone International's attitude to labelling? Do you think consumers should know that the meat comes from a cloned animal?

  • We support full disclosure in labelling. We are confident that this process poses no threat to consumers. People like to know what they're eating and it makes sense to tell them.

10. What about the risks of this technology in passing on contaminants like BSE?

  • This technology offers breeders the opportunity to ensure their breeding animals are free of BSE and other devastating diseases.

    The application of the Nuclear Transfer Cloning technology will mean that we can now multiply Australasian animals in a clean, green environment that is free of the devastating diseases such as BSE (Mad Cow Disease), foot and mouth disease, scarpie and bluetongue, brucellosis that are endemic in many overseas countries, and export these superior animals.

11.What about genetic manipulation/genetic engineering/transgenics? Are you going to be doing any of that?

  • Clone International has no plans to expand into genetic engineering.

12. When are you going to be able to clone a horse?

  • Nobody anywhere in the world has yet cloned a horse. Clone International is conducting research in this area and has laid down cell lines of successful Australian horses for future cloning when the technique is available.

13. Can Cloning assist horse breeders?

  • Breeders of elite horses are able to use Clone International's Genetic Protection Package, to preserve their animal's elite genetics for future cloning.
  • This may allow breeders in future to clone a gelding to produce a fertile stallion or for future application of new technologies such as therapeutic cloning for treatment of injury.

14. Can you clone a female animal and make a male?

  • No, because the original cells contain the female sex determining chromosomes.

15. Are you going to be able to clone Pharlap or the Thylacine (Tasmanian tiger)?

  • We do not believe so. This technology is presently only applicable to living animals. 

16. Can you use this technology then to clone an endangered animal like the pygmy possum or domestic pets (cats and dogs)?

  • Clone International has the right to use this technology on cattle, sheep and horses for agricultural purposes not wild animals or domestic pets.