European Parliament vote against cloning

Published 03/09/2008

The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly against cloning at a meeting on 3 September 2008.

Great news for farm animals as a staggering 630 European members of Parliament say no to the cloning of animals for food.

The vote which took place on 3 September 2008 saw just 32 against a motion for a resolution that will recommend the European Commission prohibits the cloning of animals for food and bans the sale or import of clones or any products from cloned animals and their offspring.

The fact that so many MEPs voted will increase the pressure on the Commission to make a complete ban on cloning of animals for food.

We are delighted that this technology with a long track record of inflicting severe suffering on farm animals.

We know from published research that around 50 per cent of cloned farm animals die either shortly before birth or within a few days or weeks afterwards. Many are born with malformed lungs, kidneys or other essential organs.

The truth is that for every so-called "successful" clone, there has been another who is unable to grow even to puberty and who is likely to have endured misery during its short life.

We also know that cloning technology is likely to be used in conjunction with genetic modification, to replicate GM farm animals. It will also be used to clone the most productive, fast-growing animals, where the most money can be made. This tends to also be where the most animal welfare problems exist.

Take Action

Please write to the Rt Hon Hilary Benn, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Tell him that now the European Parliament has voted by an overwhelming majority for cloning to be banned, the UK should drop its support for cloning. Instead the UK should take the lead in persuading our EU partners to ban the cloning of animals and the marketing of food from cloned animals or their offspring.

Write to:

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Nobel House
17 Smith Square
London, SW1P 3JR

We believe that farm animals should not and need not suffer

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