European citizens have a generally negative perception of animal cloning for food production, according to an EU study.
The Flash Eurobarometer study, presented yesterday (9 October) by the European Commission, said eight out of ten questioned had a “good degree of knowledge” of what animal cloning is, while 81% felt the long-term effects of animal cloning on nature are unknown.
A further 84% said “we don’t have enough experience” about the long-term health and safety effects of using cloned animals for food.
The food industry emerged as the sector that would ultimately benefit if animal cloning for food production purposes was allowed, but citizens said they were “not at all likely” to buy food derived from cloned animals (43%) or from offspring of cloned animals (41%).
“The survey provides us with valuable insights into the attitudes of EU citizens toward the use of animal cloning technology for food production,” said Androulla Vassiliou, EU Health Commissioner. “The Commission will now proceed with the analysis of these elements before considering whether and what action may be necessary.”
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By GlobalDataThe survey follows news last month that the European Parliament said a resounding “no” to the sale of meat and dairy products from cloned animals in the EU.
MEPs also called for a ban on farming cloned animals and their offspring, while the European Parliament moved to ban imports of products made from cloned animals, their offspring, semen and embryos.
In January, the US Food and Drug Administration concluded that meat and milk from clones of cattle, pigs and goats was safe.
The European Commission however, said it was still considering the issue.
The Eurobarometer survey was conducted in July with around 25,000 randomly selected citizens interviewed in the 27 EU member states.