January 17, 2008

 

EU not to allow sales of cloned meat, dairy products

 

 

EU officials assured consumers and critics Wednesday that meat and milk from cloned animals was not about to appear on European shelves, despite a US decision that such products are safe.

 

EU spokeswoman Nina Papadoulaki told reporters that no EU decision was imminent on allowing imports of cloned food.

 

The 27-nation union has just launched consultations on whether to draft rules whether to allow meat and milk from cloned animals to enter the food chain.

 

For the time being no cloned products are used for commercial purposes in the EU, Papadoulaki said.

 

She said the European Commission was not given any notice from US authorities that meat or milk from cloned animals would be exported.

 

There were no signs that the US will start sending or will start the commercial production of this, Papadoulaki assured.

 

She said the cloning of farm animals, notably cattle and pigs, remained extremely expensive.

 

US food industry officials said the cloning of farm animals would be used primarily for breeding, and it would be the offspring of clones that consumers would eat.

 

The US Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday food products from cloned animals are safe to eat. The decision came after a preliminary EU study, released last week, said it was unlikely such products posed a risk.