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EFSA looking deeper into animal cloning
Europe's top food safety agency may tone down its view
on products from cloned animals.
It has been reported that the European Food Safety
Authority is unsure whether products produced using cloned animals are safe to
eat, underlining uncertainties around the technology, its chief
hinted.
It was anticipated that EFSA's final opinion would be given in
May, however, the date has now change to July, due to the number of scientific
views given by EU states and industry in a consultation, reports the
Guardian.
"We received lots of comments from more than 60 organisations,"
said EFSA's Executive Director Catherine Geslain-Laneelle, adding that most of
the comments were about uncertainties, as well as animal health and
welfare.
"We think it's very important with such a new technology that we
make clear the uncertainties in the scientific evidence," Geslain-Laneelle
said.
Many consumer and religious groups strongly oppose the technology,
saying that welfare might be lakcingand that scientists don't know its effects
on nutrition and biology. However, advocates of livestock cloning say the
technology will help produce more food (meat and milk) by creating more
disease-resistant animals.
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European Food Safety Authority
(EFSA)
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