Mistakes being made in the cloning of animals to produce food for human consumption have become a major animal welfare issue in Europe, one of Ireland's top scientists said yesterday.
Prof Patrick Wall, chairman of the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa), was commenting on reports that the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) has been swamped with comments from consumers since its decision to allow food from cloned animals to be sold to the public.
More than 30,500 comments on the proposal have been received by the agency, which is now reviewing its decision of a year ago to allow cloned animals and their offspring into the human food chain.
It made its controversial decision following a four-year study of food from cloned animals and their offspring.
The decision drew immediate opposition from consumer and food industry groups and legislators, and last month, the US Senate passed a measure banning the FDA from approving the proposal until it conducted further studies of potential health effects.
The measure would also require the agriculture department to examine consumer acceptance of cloned meats. The amendment was part of the Senate's $286 billion (€180 billion) farm bill.
Yesterday the FDA said it was continuing to review the issues around the decision, but could not say when a final ruling on cloned livestock would be given.
Prof Wall, associate professor of public health at UCD school of public health and population science, confirmed yesterday the Efsa was monitoring the cloning issue in Europe.
"Animals are being cloned at various centres in Europe and these are being closely monitored by us and other agencies of the EU. However, at this stage in the European development, we are looking at animal welfare rather than consumer issues," he said.
"We know that mistakes are being made in the cloning process, which can lead to two-headed animals and animals with extra limbs being born," he added.
Cloned animals would normally be used for breeding purposes and their progeny used for meat production.
He said concerns that began with the cloned sheep Dolly in 1997 still existed. This animal had to be put down when quite young because of an incurable lung disease. "This has raised major questions about animal welfare and that is where the issue rests here in Europe now," he said.
Prof Wall said no work on producing genetic copies of animals was being carried out in Ireland. "The closest Ireland comes in this area is the use of embryos in the breeding of cattle."