European Parliament demands ban on food from cloned animals

Jul 7, 2010, 13:07 GMT

Strasbourg, France - The European Parliament on Wednesday demanded a ban on meat and milk from cloned animals as it approved new rules on so-called 'novel foods' in the European Union.

The EU so far has no rules on food from cloned animals, in part because the science of cloning is in its infancy.

The rules on novel foods are meant to guarantee that techniques such as cloning and nano-technology - altering the molecular structure of food or adding microscopic ingredients to it - do not harm consumers.

But MEPs argued that cloning is a moral issue, not a health one.

'A majority supports my ethical objections to the industrial production of cloned meat for food,' said left-wing MEP Kartika Liotard, who led the parliament's analysis of the draft laws on novel food, after the vote.

The original version of the law, which was drafted by the EU's executive, the European Commission, included cloned meat among the various 'novel foods' whose healthiness will have to be proven.

But MEPs struck out the clause, demanding instead that the commission 'present a legislative proposal to prohibit the placing on the market in the (EU) of foods derived from cloned animals and their descendants.'

They also called for a moratorium on the sale of foods developed with nanotechnology until they are scientifically proven to be safe.

But they rejected calls for the compulsory labelling of meat from animals fed on genetically-modified substances.

The concept of 'novel foods' includes foods which have traditionally been eaten in other countries but have never featured in European diets.

Such foodstuffs should also pass safety checks before they can be marketed in Europe, MEPs decided.

MEPs will now have to debate their demands with EU member states, and will ultimately have to reach a compromise with them if the proposals are to become law.