Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-09-08-Speech-3-434"
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"en.20100908.19.3-434"2
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"Mr President, I would like to thank the Commissioner for his explanation about the cloning of animals for use as food.
Both Parliament and Commission agree that the Novel Food Regulation was indeed not the appropriate framework to deal with this issue. We agree on this, which explains why the issue has been withdrawn from the scope of application of the regulation.
We are also all aware, at least according to all the scientific committees, that cloned animal meat, and that of its offspring, satisfy all food safety requirements. It is only here that I see a problem. Namely, that it is impossible to distinguish whether or not meat comes from a cloned animal, or the offspring of a cloned animal, or from an animal that has not been cloned. Therefore, there is a need – an essential need – to use labelling and traceability in order for the consumer to be informed.
Consumers want, and have the right, to know if the meat they are eating comes from a cloned animal or not, regardless of knowing whether or not it is healthy, because they may refuse to eat it owing to the issues you have explained, such as animal welfare, or for ethical reasons.
It seems, therefore, given this situation, that the production and consumption of cloned animals in Europe is probably going to be banned, particularly its production. Thus, we are going to ban our producers from using a new technique, one that is good for animal reproduction and which, moreover, can make a profit, because obviously, an animal is cloned as a result of having very special characteristics, something which has been done in Spain with fighting bulls, where, as you know, two fighting bulls have been cloned.
And we are going to ban it! Are we going to deny them the possibility of using this technique? Because, if that is the case, then our farmers, our livestock breeders, are going to lose competitiveness. This would be fine if, in Europe, we could ban the entry of meat from cloned animals, and their offspring, from other countries. However, are we going ban it? We cannot do so. The World Trade Organisation is not going to accept our ban. Therefore, we are going to have an absurd situation whereby our livestock breeders are not going to be able to use a new technique that will enable them to become more competitive, yet, we are going to be eating such food in the European Union, with or without a label.
This is what worries me, and I feel a solution needs to be found. Why are we going to ban it? Why are we going to prevent our livestock breeders from using this technique, only to later bring this food in from outside because we cannot ban its importation?"@en1
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