MEPs support total ban on cloning farm animals in Europe and on the import of cloned food and feed.

Victory for cloning opponents

Ever since Dolly the cloned sheep  emerged from the lab in 1997,

Today, a big majority of MEPs were with them,

to cover all farm animals, their offspring  and imported cloned food and feed.

Today you can vote on whether  you will have sick children in the future

and if your children  will be the laboratory guinea pigs

of certain companies  that will make profits at your expense.

People don't want cloning  because they're afraid

that cloning, once it really works,  will ultimately be used for humans.

The European Commission  wanted to ban cloning 5 key farm species

and the import of live clones,  but not their offspring or cloned food.

Descendants of clones are  conceived under conventional methods,

and therefore create neither food safety  nor animal welfare concerns.

What about the possibilities  that cloning and scientific advance

can lead to an improvement  in the animal welfare?

that fewer than 10 per cent  of cloned animals survive

and many of those that do  are deformed or die young.

We don’t need it  for progress in rearing animals

because we can do this  sufficiently by conventional means.

We don’t have a shortage  and we won't have one in the future.

Next step: a final round of talks  with Member States before it becomes law.