Green Party calls for comprehensive ban on cloning

Greens in Europe will push for a comprehensive ban on cloning and on allowing cloned animals into the food chain this week. The full European Parliament is due to vote on the issue this week in Strasbourg.

Molly Scott Cato, Green MEP for the South West, said:

“The Greens in the European Parliament are deeply committed to animal rights issues and have been at the forefront of the campaign for a European ban on the sale of meat and dairy products from both clones and their descendants. We are extremely concerned about both the ethical and animal welfare implications associated with the cloning of animals, which has been shown to lead to suffering, mortality and genetic abnormalities. I will be voting for the complete exclusion of clones and their offspring from the food chain, and for a ban on imports of clones and of food derived from cloned animals.”

In June, MEPs voted on this issue in a joint Agriculture Committee and Environment Committee meeting; Dr Scott Cato is a member of the Agricultural Committee. The MEPs called for a ban on cloning and on the placing on the market of food from clones and their descendants. Several Green amendments were supported, highlighting concerns for biodiversity, insufficient food safety studies and the need to strengthen the precautionary principle. The Committees report will be put to a vote by Parliament today.