There's been some movement in the cloned meat debate.

First, Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) introduced the Cloned Food Labeling Act (S. 414), which states that the legislation would require the FDA and the Department of Agriculture to mandate that all food that comes from cloned animals be labeled as such.

There are no co-sponsors, which isn't a kiss of death, but it does make things more difficult. If you think this is a good idea, contact your senator.

Additionally, if your Senator is one of the following:

• Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-MA)
• Senator Michael B. Enzi (R-WY)
• Senator Christopher Dodd (D-CT)
• Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA)
• Senator Barbara A. Mikulski (D-MD)
• Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)
• Senator Patty Murray (D-WA)
• Senator Jack Reed (D-RI)
• Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton(D-NY)
• Senator Barack Obama (D-IL)
• Senator Bernard Sanders (I-VT)
• Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
• Senator Judd Gregg (R-NH)
• Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN)
• Senator Richard Burr (R-NC)
• Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA)
• Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)
• Senator Orrin G. Hatch (R-UT)
• Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS)
• Senator Wayne Allard (R-CO)
• Senator Tom Coburn, M.D. (R-OK)

...tt is doubly important that you contact them if you support Mikulski's bill, as they are assigned to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions which would vote on bringing the bill to debate and a vote on the Senate floor. If it fails in committee, it won't see the light of day.

Additionally, you could simply e-mail the committee at help_comments AT helpDOTsenateDOTgov, letting them know that you support Mikulski's bill.

Meanwhile, Biotechnology Industry Organization President and CEO Jim Greenwood got a little upset, handing out this press release.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Biotechnology Industry Organization President and CEO Jim Greenwood responded to Sen. Barbara Mikulski's (D-Md.) introduction of the Cloned Food Labeling Act, saying, "Labels that are misleading to consumers are unlawful.

"To require the labeling of foods that are indistinguishable from foods produced through traditional methods -- as Sen. Mikulski's proposal does -- would mislead consumers by falsely implying differences where none exist. It also risks diverting attention from important safety and nutritional information."

...which is a wonderful piece of double speak. The first sentence of the second paragraph alludes to the differences in production techniques, and then states that there are no differences between the cloned meat and natural meat. Except that, y'know, that whole 'Cloning' thing is far different than allowing various cows, pigs and chickens to procreate on their own current animal husbandry techniques. More on this difference in a later post.

(via The Ethicurean. You are reading The Ethicurean, right? Because you really should be if you aren't)

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