MEPs call for ban on meat cloning

THE EUROPEAN parliament has called on the Commission to ban the use of cloned animals in the food chain.

Citing reduced genetic diversity among other concerns, the EP went ahead and adopted the relevant resolution with 622 votes in favour, 32 against and 25 abstentions.

“Today, MEPs showed they care about animals by voting for a ban on cloning for food. We now call on the Commission to follow their good example and come up with a strong proposal that will protect the welfare of animals,” said Neil Parish, president of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Animal Welfare.

During discussions on the issue, several expert groups, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies, outlined problems such as the animals’ well-being and the higher mortality rate of cloned animals.

They also argued that cloning could reduce the gene pool diversity and increase the risk of whole herds being hit by an illness they are all particularly susceptible to.

“The implications of the cloning of animals for food supply have not been adequately studied,” the European parliament said in its resolution.

The practice, it added, “poses a serious threat to the image and substance of the European agricultural model, which is based on product quality, environment-friendly principles and respect for stringent animal welfare conditions.”

European parliamentarians have now called on the Commission to submit proposals on how to ban using cloned animals for food supply purposes.

The European Commission in return has promised to examine the issue closely, taking into consideration public opinion as well as scientific evidence.

“After MEPs voted with such an overwhelming majority to oppose cloning of animals for food, the Commission can’t afford to ignore their message,” the Eurogroup on Animals’ director Sonja Van Tichelen said.

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