October 21, 2010

EU may back meat and milk from cloned animal offspring

The commissioners of the EU are expected to back the sale of meat and milk from cloned animal offspring in the region, according to reports.

The subject has been a matter of great debate in the EU for years, as consumers there tend to be more activist and vocal than those in the US.

The report quotes a leaked document from the EU College of Commissioners, which was due to be discussed in a meeting on Tuesday (Oct 19). The document reportedly proposes a five-year ban on the sale of meat and milk from cloned animals, but no ban on food from their offspring.

In addition, the leaked report apparently does not call for the food products of cloned animals' offspring to be labeled as such, another matter of debate among EU consumers.

The commissioners' vote, in any case, is not the last word on the matter: Member countries' representatives to the European Parliament, for example, could move to block the policy.