Europeans Unsure About Cloned Animals

Photo: AP Photo / Morry Gash

related articles

Europeans aren't so sure about milk or meat from cloned animals.

That was the message from the European Food Safety Authority, which failed to give the goods a stamp of approval, according to the New York Times.

The group delivered a report that was even less reassuring about the safety of milk and meat from cloned animals than an earlier draft was in January.

In the States, the FDA concluded this year that products from cloned animals were safe, although no marketing of them has taken place yet.

The article says that Europeans seem likely to approach cloned animals with more caution. They have had a similar approach to genetically modified crops, and to substances such as rBGH, the growth hormone given to cows to make them produce more milk. The hormone has not been approved for use in Europe (or Canada or Japan), but is used in the US.

The report mentions unresolved issues such as the ethics of cloning animals and animal welfare. The process produces a relatively high proportion of deformed animals that cannot survive, according to the Times.

COMMENTS ()