No cloned meat on EU menu

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 12th Jul 2010

Dolly the Sheep - arguably the most famous cloned animal in the world. But meat from cloned animals raises serious ethical questions.

MEPs have rejected proposals by the EU Commission to allow food from cloned animals and their offspring onto the European market. North East Liberal Democrat MEP Fiona Hall is among a majority of MEPs calling for a ban on imported food and semen from cloned animals.

The Commission and EU member states are currently working to regulate the sale of "novel foods" - defined as food made with new production processes or not widely consumed before 1997. Current EU rules only allow third-generation or later offspring from cloned animals to be sold for food, but no such rules apply in countries like America, Canada, Argentina and Brazil, which are major exporters of beef and semen to the EU and where cloning is widespread and unregulated. Last week, MEPs asked the EU Commission to come up with proposals to expressly ban food from cloned animals and their descendants.

Fiona said:

"So far, no safety concerns have been identified with meat produced from cloned animals. However, cloning animals raises serious issues about animal welfare and reduction of biodiversity, as well as ethical concerns.

"Cloned animals suffer disproportionately highly from illnesses, malformations and premature death. MEPs have been calling for proper regulation for years: it's high time the Commission listened to the European Parliament and public opinion on this issue.

"MEPs are rightly asking for a moratorium on all sales of food derived from cloning until these issues have been properly addressed."

If the European Council does not accept the Parliament's call for a separate legislative proposal on regulating food derived from cloned animals, an agreement will be sought through the 'conciliation' procedure in September.