EC launches cloned animals food consultation
The European Commission has announced that a public consultation on the subject of food sourced from cloned animals and the offspring of cloned animals has been launched to gauge public opinion on the issue. Currently, food obtained from cloned animals is subject to regulation by EU law if pre-market authorisation is obtained but there is no EU legislation at present on food obtained from the offspring of said animals.
The consultation asks questions concerning five scenarios:
- A temporary ban on food sourced from cloned animals, their offspring and any subsequent descendants.
- A temporary ban on food sourced from cloned animals in the EU and the introduction of mandatory labelling of food sourced from clone offspring and any subsequent descendants.
- A temporary ban on food sourced from cloned animals in the EU and ensuring that all imports of reproductive materials sourced from clones are traced.
- Allowing the use of cloning in the EU for the purpose of food production.
- Continued use of the present legal framework concerning novel foods and ingredients.
Welcoming the launch, Alyn Smith MEP has praised the implications of the consultation for consumer confidence and has argued that “As technology develops, so can the law, but in the meantime until new technologies are proven to be safe then they stay in the lab, not the kitchen.”
The consultation can be found here.
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