Food from cloned animals an EU issue

STRASBOURG, France, July 7 (UPI) -- Foods from cloned animals and their offspring should be banned, the European Parliament said Wednesday.

The rules will be finalized through negotiations between EU lawmakers and European governments that are to start in September, The New York Times reported.

"Although no safety concerns have been identified so far with meat produced from cloned animals, this technique raises serious issues about animal welfare, reduction of biodiversity, as well as ethical concerns," said Corinne Lepage, a French member of the European Parliament and a deputy head of its environment committee.

The EU Parliament, meeting in Strasbourg, France, also called for a temporary suspension of the sale of food with ingredients produced with nanotechnology.