WASHINGTON - Frank Regan, a dairy farmer in northeast Iowa, had a cow named Dellia who was, in the cow world, a rock star, prized for her health and strength and milk production. In 2005 she was even named Global Cow of the Year by Holstein International magazine.

So when a friend suggested that Regan consider cloning Dellia, he decided to spend the $25,000. Dellia died recently at age 15, but Regan has her clone, Debra, and four offspring of cloned cows now giving milk among his prized line of dairy cattle.

It's unclear what Regan, of Waukon, Iowa, can do with his clones or their milk. But that could soon change.

The Food and Drug Administration is expected to issue a final ruling soon on whether food from cloned animals is safe to eat. A year ago it issued a "draft risk assessment" that concluded there was no difference between food from cloned animals and ordinary food.

But the draft risk assessment caused such a stir that the agency immediately announced it would study the matter further. It imposed a "voluntary moratorium" on the sale of food products from cloned animals and invited the public to submit comments on the issue.

The FDA has been reviewing the matter for a year, but those following the debate in the U.S. don't expect the agency to deviate from its risk assessment in a final ruling. Many food safety groups expect the FDA to shape a decision that will allow the sale of meat and dairy products from cloned animals.

A lot of consumer groups are upset the agency is even considering allowing the sale of food from cloned animals, and the FDA has been flooded with letters against it. People have been waiting for the final verdict ever since, and it may occur shortly.

"I think they're just trying to get this off their plate when it gets right down to it -- getting it off their plate and putting it on ours," said Jaydee Hanson, a policy analyst for the Center for Food Safety, a non-profit public interest group that challenges food production technologies it considers harmful.

Only three small companies perform animal cloning at the moment. They've been waiting months for the FDA's final approval of cloned products, which could mean a rapid expansion of their businesses. But it's not clear how lucrative the cloning business will be, because no one is sure whether consumers, who in surveys express concerns about cloning, will buy food made from cloned animals.

Even Regan, who has already invested in cloning, doesn't think it will be an easy sell.

"The big issue is, what does the public think?" Regan said. "If they don't want it, they want everything organic or natural, then we're not going to do it. We're lucky to have the market we have for dairy products."

Consumer acceptance, though, is just one of many issues in the cloning debate. Others include safety, animal health, labeling and the FDA's ability to police the practice.

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