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There has been some interest in the media this week about the possibility of cloned animals being used in food production, which at present are not permitted as food in the UK. This followed the publication of two reports - one from the European Food Safety Authority and another from the US Food and Drug Administration. The FDA concluded that meat and milk from cloned animals pose no additional risk compared with that obtained from existing animals, while EFSA has invited public comments on a similar conclusion. In the Agency we are looking closely at the EFSA report and we will provide comments to help ensure that EFSA reaches conclusions that are based on sound science.

An issue like cloning strikes a chord with the general public and I am very conscious that an objective, evidence-based assessment of the safety of food from cloned animals is only one piece of the jigsaw. There are potential animal welfare implications and the farming of cloned animals also raises significant ethical issues. There has been little or no published research in this country into public attitudes to food produced from cloned animals and the Agency has recently commissioned a study to fill this gap. This research will help us to understand the range of public concerns and we can then make sure that these are not overlooked when it comes to making decisions on the acceptability of animal cloning for food production.