Brussels, 17/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - MEPs on the European Parliament's environment and agriculture committees are on the same wavelength as the European Commission, only much more demanding, when it comes to the idea of cloning animals for food.
By a huge majority on Wednesday 17 June (82 votes in favour, 9 against, and 9 abstentions), the MEPs gave a categorical 'no' vote to the cloning of farm animals, the marketing of cloned animals or live cloned embryos and the sale of products, such as milk and meat, from cloned animals and their offspring. They were jointly expressing their views on the European Commission's 2013 proposal for a moratorium on the technique of cloning and a ban on the sale of food obtained from cloned animals, but which does not include the labelling of animals that are descended from cloned animals - the only ones that can be imported into the EU (see EUROPE 10988).
The MEPs want a general ban in the interests of public safety until it has been proven that such products are not a danger to human health, and also in the interests of animal welfare. They call for the legislation in this connection to be a regulation rather than a directive and for a certification system to be introduced for exporters to the EU of animal derivative products.
Renate Sommer (EPP, Germany), the Parliament's environment committee rapporteur, said she was delighted that her proposals had been 100% followed on the laying down of very strict rules in the EU in order to ban cloning and all cloned derivative products, including products made from the offspring of cloned animals. Cloning causes animals great pain, she explained. She hoped the Parliament, which will decide on the matter at the September plenary, would give a strong negotiating mandate for the talks with the Council of Ministers, which does not yet have a common negotiating mandate on this question. Giulia Moi (EFDD, Italy), co-rapporteur at the agriculture committee, drove the message home, saying that they had sent a strong message to citizens (77% of whom oppose cloning for food purposes), and also to the European Commission. She said they do not want cloning to become a common practice in Europe, explaining that the sale of products made from cloned animals takes place in some countries outside the EU and they did not want this food to end up on the plates of people in the EU.
The European Parliament first called for a ban on cloning in Europe in 2011, pointed out Marc Tarabella (S&D, Belgium). He is delighted at the vote, pointing out that they also want special measures on the offspring of cloned animals and the only cloned animals the Parliament would allow would be those at risk of total extinction. (Aminata Niang)