SHENZHEN, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Chinese researchers have cloned eight piglets in a simplified method compared to traditional cloning.

    The piglets were born on Aug. 30 by handmade cloning (HMC), an alternative of the conventional operation that requires expensive equipment, said Yang Huanming, a scientist at Beijing Genomics Institute's Shenzhen branch (BGI Shenzhen) that developed the HMC technology, on Saturday at a press conference here.

    HMC needs only a metal blade and skilled hands, which reduces costs and increases efficiency.

    Yang, also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said the piglets could reproduce in a natural way.

    "Cloned pork is relatively safe, and we're prepared for large-scale production," said Yang.

    BGI experts conducted porcine HMC with Denmark scientists in 2006. The Chinese experts brought in the technology in 2007 and made a success after one year's efforts.

    Pig cloning could offer organs for human transplantation and it is also an important way to retain or improve rare species, according to Yang.