China Plans Giant Animal Cloning Factory

China is causing online alarm with plans to build the world's largest animal cloning factory producing dogs, horses and up to a million beef cattle a year.

The 200m yuan (£20.5m) plant is backed by Chinese biotechnology firm Boyalife and South Korea's Sooam Biotech and will include cloning laboratories and a gene bank, according to the official Xinhua news agency.

The new plant in the northern port of Tianjin intends to produce such animals as pet and police dogs, racehorses and cows, which will then be sold on the open market.

It will start production next year.

"Chinese farmers are struggling to produce enough beef cattle to meet market demand," said Boyalife chairman Xu Xiaochun.

However, social media critics are sceptical about the idea that people will want to eat cloned meat.

They point out the plant will be near the site where deadly chemical explosions killed at least 165 people in August and, also, that china's record on food safety is poor.

"Is this meat going to be sold in South Korea or China? If in China, please make our leaders eat it first," said one user.

Another commenter wrote sarcastically: "This beef definitely must first be saved just for the central government leaders; only after they and their families have eaten it for 10 years should they deign to give it to us, the people! Really can't wait!"

Many are unhappy about ethical issues.

"Is cloning even legal?" asked one.

"Insane. There are already enough stray dogs at the moment, so many that the unclaimed ones are euthanised. What will be done with so many more?" wondered another.

Hwang Woo-suk, the founder of Sooam Biotech, was involved in controversy 10 years ago when he and two chinese research institutions claimed to have cloned human embroyos.

It turned out his research was fraudulent and riddled with ethical lapses.