The majority of the people don’t want cloned food, but who cares?
– Meat from offspring of cloned animals to go on sale in UK (Telegraph):
Meat and milk from the offspring of cloned animals could be on sale in British supermarkets by the end of the summer, after attempts to impose controls through European regulation failed.
Families buying meat for barbecues are unlikely to be aware of their food’s controversial links because the labels on packaging will be no different from normal meat.
– EU move on cloned food shunned (UPI):
Europe says no to cloned food labels”Meat from the offspring of cloned animals could find its way onto the EU market, with no one being any the wiser, after member state representatives refused the Parliament’s demand to label clone-derived products,” the European Parliament said in a statement.
– UK accused over food labelling (Press Association):
The Government has been accused of ignoring consumer wishes by blocking moves to label meat and milk products which have genetic links to cloned animals.
The prospect of EU-wide rules introducing compulsory labelling ended early on Tuesday when last-ditch talks between Euro-MPs, the European Commission and officials representing Europe’s governments ended without agreement.
The commission and member states feared a trade war with Washington if tougher controls came in to highlight produce from the offspring of cloned animals.
But Labour MEP Linda McAvan, one of the European Parliament’s representatives during three years of negotiations, commented: “Consumers want to know where the food they buy has come from – and whether animals have suffered unnecessarily to produce it.
– Cloned food regulations: EU at loggerhead (Independent Online):
Brussels – The European Union’s parliament and secretariat on Tuesday accused one another of failing to compromise, as negotiations over labelling food stemming from the offspring of cloned animals fell apart during overnight talks.
– Is my party reneging on its green promises? (Daily Mail):
The idea of eating meat from the offspring of a cloned animal conjures up images of a science fiction world where the food chain is manipulated by geneticists and where the natural rhythms of life are ignored in the name of profit.
If members of the public were asked whether they would be happy buying such food from the butcher or supermarket, there would be a resounding ‘no’.
Cloning is ethically controversial, scientifically untested and the vast majority of consumers don’t want cloned food anywhere near their plates.
Yet this is precisely what the Coalition Government is planning.