EC Proposes Ban on Use of Cloned Animals

EU - The European Commission has proposed a temporary five year ban on the use of cloned animals for food, says a leaked draft report of DG SANCO due to be adopted by the College of Commissioners next week.
calendar icon 15 October 2010
clock icon 3 minute read

If adopted, the proposal goes some way towards supporting the position recently adopted by the European Parliament in its second reading of the Novel Foods Regulation. However, it still does not cover the offspring of cloned animals.

“Eurogroup for Animals welcomes this initiative from the Commission but is disappointed that food from cloned animals will still be available and on sale in European shops despite this ban. It is imperative that the ban includes the offspring of cloned animals to ensure that all products originating from cloned animals are removed from the European market,” said Sonja Van Tichelen, Director of Eurogroup for Animals.

The Commission believes that it would be impossible to enforce a ban that includes the offspring of cloned animals, as meat traceability systems are already in place.

Eurogroup for Animals says that the five year period proposed for the ban should be used to develop robust systems in the same way as was undertaken in the BSE crisis to ensure food safety is maintained at the highest level.

The Commission states that “it is difficult to justify” a moratorium on imports of reproductive material from clones as it sees “no health or food safety concerns”.

"It is vital that the European Parliament remains strong in this debate and sticks to its position in calling for a complete ban of products from cloned animals or their offspring," says Ms Van Tichelen.

"Cloning as a method of food production is being pursued without public awareness and in spite of well-documented public concerns relating to the use of biotechnology in food production (e.g. GM foods). This is unacceptable and Eurogroup will continue to work alongside the European Parliament to outlaw animal cloning and to ensure that no more animals suffer as a consequence of this technique, whether in the European union or in third countries."

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