Risk Assessments
In January
2008, FDA released a final risk
assessment in which it concludes
that meat and milk from cow, pig and
goat clones and the offspring of any
animal clones are as safe as food
from conventionally bred animals.
FDA’s risk assessment and other
information on animal cloning can be
downloaded from their website at
www.fda.gov/cvm/cloning.htm.
In July 2008,
the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
published its final scientific
opinion on the implications of
animal cloning. EFSA states that
there is no indication that
differences exist in terms of food
safety between food products from
healthy cattle and pig clones and
their progeny, compared with those
from healthy conventionally-bred
animals. EFSA’s report can be
downloaded from their website at
http://www.efsa.europa.eu/EFSA/efsa_locale-1178620753812_1211902019762.htm.
Novel Foods
In January
2008, the European Commission
presented
a proposal to revise the current EU
rules on novel foods.
The novel
foods proposal does not include a
specific provision on foods from
cloned animals but only refers to
animal cloning in the preamble where
it is used as an example of foods
that have been produced “using new
techniques”. The Commission stated
that the novel foods proposal only
outlines a procedure for considering
cloned foods and that it would wait
for the EFSA’s final opinion, the
outcome of a public opinion poll and
the opinion of the European Group on
Ethics in Science and New
Technologies (EGE) to reflect on
specific measures for cloned foods.
Opinions
In January
2008, the European Group on Ethics
in Science and New Technologies
adopted its opinion on the
“Ethical Aspects of Animal Cloning
for Food Supply”.
EGE concludes that “considering the
current level of suffering and
health problems of surrogate dams
and animal clones, the EGE has
doubts as to whether cloning for
food is justified”. In its
1st reading report on the novel
foods proposal, the European
Parliament’s Environment, Public
Health and Food Safety Committee
claims that the cloning of animals
is not compatible with animal
welfare rules and therefore foods
from cloned animals should not be
included in an EU positive list.
On September 3, 2008, the European
Parliament adopted a
resolution calling on the
Commission to prohibit the cloning
of animals for food supply purposes
as well as the import of cloned
animals or derived products.
Links
Reports
