MEPs want cloned animals and their offspring banned from the food chain but the Council doesn't agree. If there is no deal in March, there'll be no legislation.

A dish of cloned meat?

When is a cow not a cow?  When it’s a clone, it seems.

Most MEPs want to ensure that cloned  animals, their offspring and products

are excluded from proposed  legislation on 'novel foods'

and subject instead to a total ban,  on safety and animal welfare grounds.

There is a lot of pain for  cloned animals to be produced,

and I think we should  ask ourselves the question:

'Is it necessary for food production  that we use this technique?'

The Commission wants a moratorium  on cloning for food and on imports,

Artificial insemination  has changed breeding techniques -

one bull in the US  sired a million calves that way.

Some fear cloning will further reduce  the range of breeding stock.

I believe we face  a huge challenge at global level,

to feed the planet  when the population is exploding,

if they respect ethical standards  and the security of our food supply.

The European Food Safety Agency’s  Scientific Committee

highlighted problems with cloned animals,  but not with their progeny.

Cloning speeds up selective breeding  and scientists foresee long-term benefits.

When we can improve animals to reduce  the use of antibiotics, for example,

because we have animals that  are more resistant to something,

EP and Council are trying to reach  an agreement by the end of March,

or there will be no legislation  on cloning or novel foods, for now.