Cruel Cloning Should Stop

Brussels, 3rd March 2008 -- Timothy Kirkhope MEP, a leading Conservative in the European Parliament, is championing calls for the European Parliament to take a stance and issue an immediate ban on cloning animals for food until the animal welfare and ethical issues have been thoroughly investigated.

He believes that people need to be made aware of the implications of cloning for the animals involved and the suffering and distress caused in the name of 'cheap food'. Mr Kirkhope's fears have been mirrored by the RSPCA.

Mr Kirkhope has given his full support to a motion calling for the European Commission to submit proposals prohibiting the cloning of animals for food supply, their farming and placing on the market or importing such animals and their products.

Cloning has been proved to be an inefficient practice that requires the loss of many animal lives just to produce one successful clone. Scientists have found that the ones who do survive suffer more defects and die much earlier and often in great pain.

Mr Kirkhope said:

"I am sure the vast majority of my constituents support my stance on this. Consumers are extremely uneasy about the prospect of eating meat or products from cloned animals and not enough is known about the impact on human health of eating these products.

"The science is moving too fast, without sufficient knowledge and safeguards in place, and we are already seeing the consequences for the animals with weakened gene pools, leading to whole herds becoming susceptible to disease or infections, premature deaths and completely unnecessary suffering. Cloning is an incredibly wasteful way of producing food, and causes harm and distress to animals at every stage of development. Are a few cheap burgers really worth all this misery? We are, after all, supposed to be a nation of animal lovers.

"The European Commission must ban animal cloning, particularly for the animals we eat, until we are absolutely certain the techniques are safe for humans and the animals are not dying in agony. Even then, in all honesty, I doubt there will be a great demand from the consumer."

ENDS