EU Deadlock On Clone Regulations

UK - The National Farmers' Union (NFU) in the UK has reassured consumers about products from the offspring of cloned livestock, after plans for tighter EU regulations were thrown out this week.
calendar icon 4 April 2011
clock icon 1 minute read
National Farmers Union

The European Parliament and Council of Ministers were unable to agree on new rules to govern products from cloned livestock, during last-ditch conciliation talks to update EU Novel Foods regulation.

The parliament had wanted mandatory labelling on all products from the offspring of clones, but the council said the move was unnecessary, unworkable and could spark a trade war.

The failure to find common ground means the rules revert back to the original Novel Foods regulation adopted in 1997, where cloning is not allowed in the EU but the progeny of animals cloned abroad, and their products, may be imported and sold freely to consumers.

NFU Director of Policy Martin Haworth reassured the public that the current cloning regulation followed ‘sound scientific advice and was in line with best regulation principles’. He also dispelled concerns over the consumption of food from the offspring of clones, adding: "The European Food Safety Authority and the Food Standards Agency have both confirmed that there is no health risk posed by the products of offspring from cloned animals.”

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