Members of the European Parliament have recently voted for a ban on cloned animals and cloned foods, citing serious animal health and welfare concerns, as well as ethical issues as reasons.
The Parliament called on the Commission to submit proposals for a prohibition on cloning for food supply purposes. Chair of the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, Neil Parish, said Europe had very high animal welfare standards and that the Parliament must protect consumer confidence.
Parish’s resolution for a ban on cloning was adopted with 622 MEPs in favour, 32 against and 25 abstentions.
The resolution calls for a ban on the cloning of animals, the farming of cloned animals and their offspring, the placing the market of meat or dairy products derived from cloned animals or their offspring and the importing of cloned animals, their offspring, semen and embryos from cloned animals or their offspring, and meat or dairy products derived from cloned animals or their offspring.