ktlight
27th May 2011, 09:25
FYI:
Food from the offspring of cloned animals, including meat and milk, has been approved for sale without labels.
The Food Standards Agency yesterday tore up proposals that would have required it to go through a safety assessment.
It comes despite research showing eight in ten shoppers oppose the cloning of farm livestock.
Unlabelled food produced using the offspring of clones, such as dairy products, meat pies and ready meals, can now go on sale without any threat of legal action.
But animal welfare groups say the cloning technique is cruel, with a high number of miscarriages, deformities and gigantism.
And consumer groups say labels are essential to give shoppers choice.
The FSA’s decision is in line with Government policy, which supports clone farming and clone food without labels.
Ministers argue the offspring of clones are the same as animals produced through conventional breeding. They claim existing animal cruelty laws are sufficient to deal with any problems.
Advocates claim cloning can create herds of supersize animals able to produce vast amounts of milk and meat, so boosting profits.
Supporters of the sale of food from clone offspring include Dairy UK, which represents the country’s biggest milk and cheese producers, the Food and Drink Federation, which speaks for manufacturers, and the British Meat Processors Association.
But Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose have responded to customer concerns by pledging not to use meat or milk from clone offspring in their own-label products.
Until yesterday, the FSA had argued that meat and milk from the offspring of clones would have to be studied to ensure it was safe. But now the watchdog has concluded that there is ‘currently no evidence’ that it poses a food safety risk.
At least 100 clone offspring cattle are being reared on farms in this country. Most are at Newmeadow Holsteins, a dairy herd based at Nairn, North-East Scotland.
source for more
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1390876/Unlabelled-clone-meat-allowed-shop-shelves-food-safety-proposals-ripped-up.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
Food from the offspring of cloned animals, including meat and milk, has been approved for sale without labels.
The Food Standards Agency yesterday tore up proposals that would have required it to go through a safety assessment.
It comes despite research showing eight in ten shoppers oppose the cloning of farm livestock.
Unlabelled food produced using the offspring of clones, such as dairy products, meat pies and ready meals, can now go on sale without any threat of legal action.
But animal welfare groups say the cloning technique is cruel, with a high number of miscarriages, deformities and gigantism.
And consumer groups say labels are essential to give shoppers choice.
The FSA’s decision is in line with Government policy, which supports clone farming and clone food without labels.
Ministers argue the offspring of clones are the same as animals produced through conventional breeding. They claim existing animal cruelty laws are sufficient to deal with any problems.
Advocates claim cloning can create herds of supersize animals able to produce vast amounts of milk and meat, so boosting profits.
Supporters of the sale of food from clone offspring include Dairy UK, which represents the country’s biggest milk and cheese producers, the Food and Drink Federation, which speaks for manufacturers, and the British Meat Processors Association.
But Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, the Co-op, Marks & Spencer and Waitrose have responded to customer concerns by pledging not to use meat or milk from clone offspring in their own-label products.
Until yesterday, the FSA had argued that meat and milk from the offspring of clones would have to be studied to ensure it was safe. But now the watchdog has concluded that there is ‘currently no evidence’ that it poses a food safety risk.
At least 100 clone offspring cattle are being reared on farms in this country. Most are at Newmeadow Holsteins, a dairy herd based at Nairn, North-East Scotland.
source for more
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1390876/Unlabelled-clone-meat-allowed-shop-shelves-food-safety-proposals-ripped-up.html?ito=feeds-newsxml