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EU MEPs call for ban on animal cloning for food

Monday, September 8, 2008
Posted in Cloning | Tagged Cloning

The European Parliament called for a ban in the EU on the cloning of animals for food supply. MEPs also urged an embargo on imports of cloned animals, their offspring and products derived from these sources. In a resolution adopted by 622 MEPs in favour, 32 against and 25 abstentions, the House calls on the Commission “to submit proposals prohibiting for food supply purposes:

- the cloning of animals,

- the farming of cloned animals or their offspring,

- the placing on 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.”

Animal health problems and risks for the European quality model

The text refers to the health, welfare and higher mortality problems of cloned animals and their surrogate dams recently highlighted by several groups of European experts, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the European Group on Ethics. MEPs also stress that cloning would significantly reduce genetic diversity within livestock populations, increasing the possibility of whole herds being decimated by diseases to which they are susceptible.

In addition, the European Parliament fears that use of cloning techniques would harm the image of the European agricultural model, which is based on product quality, environment-friendly principles and respect for stringent animal welfare conditions. They also point out that Directive 98/58/EC on the protection of farm animals bans natural or artificial procedures which are likely to cause suffering or injury to any of the animals concerned.

Currently no products derived from cloned animals are sold in Europe or the rest of the world. However, experts believe that such products could reach the market by 2010. A moratorium on the sale of this type of product, introduced in the USA in 2001, was challenged by the US Food and Drug Administration, which concluded in January that meat and milk from clones of cattle, pigs and goats and their offspring are as reliable as those of traditionally bred animals.

European Commission quizzed

During their debate yesterday evening, MEPs quizzed the European Commission on its position and its plans as regards animal cloning. “Not only is it a case of food safety, we in Europe believe that we are producing food quality products”, EP Agriculture Committee Chairman Neil Parish (EPP-ED, UK) said. “It is also a question of animal welfare and consumer confidence” and there is a “risk of producing less strong and healthy animals”. He stressed “we have to look at this seriously”.

Mr Parish said: “Cloning entails serious health and welfare problems for clones and their surrogate dams; animal health problems come from invasive techniques required to produce a clone; there is the suffering of surrogate dams which carry cloned foetuses, and high levels of ill health and mortality in early life for cloned animals. I call on the Commission to submit proposals prohibiting the cloning of animals in the food supply and the placing of cloned animals on the market in meat and dairy products.”

Androula Vassiliou, the Commissioner for health and food safety, said that the Commission was closely following scientific developments in this area and “is aware that even though the efficiency of animal cloning has improved over the last years, adverse health effects on animal health and welfare still occur today”. The Commission “is now evaluating the necessary steps to be taken” and “takes ethical considerations fully into account”, including the opinion of the European Group of Ethics which “advocated that at the moment there are no convincing arguments to justify the production of food from clones and their offspring”. “According to global trade rules, imports of food products from third countries might be suspended if they present a serious threat to animal or public health. On the basis of the studies conducted and the opinion of EFSA, the Commission will consider whether restrictions must be imposed”, she added.

SOURCE: European Parliament

AUTHOR: Press Release

URL: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/032-35965-245-09-36-904-20080902IPR35964-01-09-2008-2008-false/default_en.htm

DATE: 03.09.2008

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PART 2

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TITLE: EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION OF 3 SEPTEMBER 2008 ON THE CLONING OF ANIMALS FOR FOOD SUPPLY

SOURCE: European Parliament

AUTHOR:

URL: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+TA+P6-TA-2008-0400+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN

DATE: 03.09.2008

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EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT RESOLUTION OF 3 SEPTEMBER 2008 ON THE CLONING OF ANIMALS FOR FOOD SUPPLY

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the Protocol on protection and welfare of animals requires the Community and Member States to pay full regard to animal welfare requirements in formulating and implementing agriculture and research policies,

B. whereas cloning processes show low rates of survival for transferred embryos and cloned animals, with many cloned animals dying in the early stages of life from cardiovascular failure, immuno-deficiencies, liver failure, respiratory problems, and kidney and musculoskeletal abnormalities,

C. whereas the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded in its opinion of 2008 that mortality and morbidity levels in cloned animals are higher than in sexually produced animals and late pregnancy losses and disorders are likely to affect the welfare of surrogate mothers,

D. whereas, given current levels of suffering and health problems of surrogate dams and cloned animals, the European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies (EGE) questions whether cloning animals for food supply is ethically justified and does not view as convincing arguments to justify food production from cloned animals and their offspring,

E. whereas Council Directive 98/58/EC of 20 July 1998 concerning the protection of animals kept for farming purposes(1) provides that ‘natural or artificial breeding or breeding procedures which cause or are likely to cause suffering or injury to any of the animals concerned must not be practised’ (Annex, paragraph 20),

F. whereas cloning would significantly reduce genetic diversity within livestock populations, increasing the possibility of whole herds being wiped out by diseases to which they are susceptible,

G. whereas EFSA published on 24 July 2008 a scientific opinion on the implications of animal cloning for food safety, animal health and welfare and the environment, in which it concluded that the health and welfare of a significant proportion of cloned animals was adversely affected, often severely and fatally,

H. whereas, while the principal purpose of cloning is to produce multiple copies of animals with fast growth rates or high yields, traditional selective breeding has already led to leg disorders and cardiovascular malfunction in fast-growing pigs, and lameness, mastitis and premature culling in high-yielding cattle; and whereas cloning the fastest-growing and highest-yielding animals will lead to even higher levels of health and welfare problems,

I. whereas, in addition to the fact that the implications of the cloning of animals for food supply have not been adequately studied, it 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,

1. Calls on the Commission to submit proposals prohibiting for food supply purposes (i) the cloning of animals, (ii) the farming of cloned animals or their offspring, (iii) the placing on the market of meat or dairy products derived from cloned animals or their offspring and (iv) 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, taking into account the recommendations of EFSA and the EGE;

2. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.

(1) OJ L 221, 8.8.1998, p. 23.