EU agency says cloned foods pose no risk

PARMA, Italy, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- The European Food Safety Authority said Friday it has concluded that meat and milk from healthy cloned cattle and pigs are unlikely to pose risks to consumers.

The EU agency, which provides scientific advice to the European Commission, said in a first-draft report on the subject that many cloned farm animals have health problems, including life-threatening physiological abnormalities.

"Based on current knowledge there is no expectation that clones or their progeny would introduce any new food safety risks compared with conventionally bred animals," the report said.

The agency's 47-page report on cloned foods could be a boon to the fledgling agricultural cloning industry, which has struggled amid suspicion by consumers that cloned animals may pose some hidden risk, The Washington Post reported.

Scientists at companies around the world, including at least two in the United States, want to clone prize-winning beef cattle, dairy cows and pigs among other animals, as a way to bring consistently high-quality meat products to market.

The newspaper reported it remains unclear whether the European Union will ultimately approve the sale of cloned products, and if so, under what conditions.

The report released Friday is a first draft that will be open for public comment for 45 days before being put into final form.