FDA cloning ruling at odds with consumers, Congress, EU

This ruling flies in the face of public opinion, as consumers, advocacy groups, animal welfare groups, international organizations, and even our own Congress have voiced serious concern.

Last week, the European Union's Group on Ethics of Science and New Technologies released a report saying that the cloning of animals for food production is "ethically unjustified" because cloned animals experience high levels of suffering and health problems. The EU has maintained that its current ban on food from cloned animals will remain, sending a strong message that has implications for the export of US agricultural products.

With this ruling, the FDA also outright ignored the concerns of Congress. Senators Mikulski (D-MD) and Specter (R-PA) sponsored an amendment to the Farm Bill that mandates further studies of cloning animals for food production by the National Academy of Sciences and the USDA. The amendment would also require examination of consumer opinion and acceptance of cloned foods. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), who is the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairwoman and who has introduced the Cloned Food Labeling Act, also criticized the FDA's ruling as acting in the interests of a minority of companies who stand to profit from the sale of cloned food products.

As the Farm Bill moves into conference committee, where members of both the House and Senate will come together to work out differences between the two bills, let's hope that the Mikulski-Specter amendment remains as a message to the FDA and a reflection of the concern that has come from many sources.