EU consumers have little appetite for cloning

loning is generating a growing interest in the medical and pharmaceutical areas, where the technique could potentially be used to produce donor organs and medicines. Such kinds of applications are reasonably well accepted by EU
consumers, who can see a benefit for human health. In contrast, for a variety of reasons ranging from ethical and animal welfare concerns to the wish to support a less intensive and industrialised farming system, the vast majority of Europeans have little appetite for cloning to produce food.

In view of the upcoming discussions in the Council and European Parliament, The European Consumer Organisation (BEUC), wishes to stress the following:

• Many EU consumers strongly disapprove of the use of cloning for food production. This should be recognised and respected.
• EU consumers should be able to make an informed choice when it comes to purchasing and consuming food from cloned animals’ offspring and descendants.
• As the minimum, we wish to see the reintroduction of the package of measures on which the Council and European Parliament could have agreed back in 2011.
• As the EU negotiates free trade agreements with countries using cloning e.g. Canada and the US, we look to the Council and European Parliament to stand by EU consumers and put their interests before trade.