Food from Cloned Animals Is Probably Safe, but Ethics Concerns Persist
Jul 28th, 2008 • Posted in: NewsEuropean Commission will have to decide whether to keep the goods off shelves; one report it requested says there are doubts as to whether cloning is ‘ethically justified’
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European Union science advisers say milk and meat from cloned animals is probably safe, though the panel’s lukewarm endorsement makes it unlikely that such products will reach store shelves soon.
Food safety concerns are classified as “unlikely” by the European Food Safety Authority report, but the document does say there are limited amounts of data on which to draw a conclusion, according to the EU Observer.
The International Herald Tribune notes that an earlier report from an ethics commission also will be taken into account when the European Commission eventually decides whether to approve cloned-animal products.
The European Group on Ethics in Science and New Technologies has determined that there are “doubts as to whether cloning animals for food supply is ethically justified,” according to UPI.
Among other concerns, cloning, while generally producing a superior animal, also produces a high number of animals born with deformities, notes the Toronto Star.
Sources: Toronto Star, July 25 — EU Observer, July 25 — International Herald Tribune, July 24 — UPI, July 24.
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