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Lawsuit Over Quarter Horse's Clone May Redefine Animal Breeding
schwit1 sends this report from the LA Times:
"Lynx Melody Too, a clone of a renowned quarter horse, is at the center of a lawsuit that could change the world of animal breeding and competition. Texas horse breeder Jason Abraham and veterinarian Gregg Veneklasen sued the American Quarter Horse Assn., claiming that Lynx Melody Too should be allowed to register as an official quarter horse. A Texas jury decided in their favor in 2013, but a three-judge panel of the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that ruling in January, saying there was 'insufficient' evidence of wrongdoing by the association.
The suit is among the first to deal with the status of clones in breeding and competition, and its outcome could impact a number of fields, including thoroughbred horse racing and dog breeding. The quarter horse association is adamant that clones and their offspring have no place in its registry. "It's what AQHA was founded on — tracking and preserving the pedigrees of these American quarter horses," said Tom Persechino, executive director of marketing for the association. "When a person buys an American quarter horse, they want to know that my quarter horse has the blood of these horses running through it, not copies of it."
The suit is among the first to deal with the status of clones in breeding and competition, and its outcome could impact a number of fields, including thoroughbred horse racing and dog breeding. The quarter horse association is adamant that clones and their offspring have no place in its registry. "It's what AQHA was founded on — tracking and preserving the pedigrees of these American quarter horses," said Tom Persechino, executive director of marketing for the association. "When a person buys an American quarter horse, they want to know that my quarter horse has the blood of these horses running through it, not copies of it."
In this case wouldn't the clone be more valuable, since it actually has the blood of an other quarter horse running through it?
It completely destroys their monopoly. They basically just discovered how to factory produce diamonds, they have to make sure they are never worth as much or their entire organisation is doomed.
Troll is not a replacement for I disagree.
Obviously, logical thinking is unacceptable when one's income is threatened by it.
Well, that is the real issue. Cloning could totally disrupt horse breeding. Why bother with lots of trial and error, when you can just clone a hundred copies of Secretariat? Barriers to entry would be far lower, stud fees would disappear, and horse racing attendance may drop from lack of interest in watching identical horses compete. For thoroughbreds, not only is cloning banned, but they don't even allow artificial insemination or embryo transfer. The whole industry is predicated on artificial scarcity.
Obviously, logical thinking is unacceptable when one's income is threatened by it.
Well, that is the real issue. Cloning could totally disrupt horse breeding. Why bother with lots of trial and error, when you can just clone a hundred copies of Secretariat? Barriers to entry would be far lower, stud fees would disappear, and horse racing attendance may drop from lack of interest in watching identical horses compete. For thoroughbreds, not only is cloning banned, but they don't even allow artificial insemination or embryo transfer. The whole industry is predicated on artificial scarcity.
But then, you could have an entirely different race, the IROC of horse-racing; where the only difference was (supposedly) the skill of the Jockeys and the horses' "crews"...