April 3, 2008
 
Japan considers ban on cloned meat and dairy

The government of Japan on Wednesday (April 2) is mulling whether to let meat and dairy products from cloned animals to be served at homes and restaurants.

The health ministry has asked the Cabinet Office's Food Safety Commission whether the current ban on cloned meat and dairy should be lifted, the ministry said. It is unclear how long the evaluation will take.

Domestic and foreign laboratories have stressed that cloned animals were as healthy as conventionally bred ones.

The National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, affiliated with the Japanese farm ministry, also reached a similar conclusion, according to farm ministry official Mitsukazu Sakuradani.

In January, the US and EU has already approved the sale of food from cloned animals and their offspring after years of research.

However, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) pending consultations on its safety should not make cloned animal foods marketed for the time being as these have faced opposition on ethical and health grounds.

The European Commission has vowed to consult consumers before giving its own ruling in May, while the European Food Safety Authority said meat and milk from healthy cattle and pig clones were probably safe for humans.

In Japan, only laboratories and research institutes have grown cloned animals. There were 535 cows and 256 pigs as of the end of September, the government said.