Support Amendment to Stop Animal Cloning in the Farm Bill!

The FDA will soon make a final decision on whether food from cloned animals is safe to enter our food supply. They released their preliminary risk assessment in December and received over 145,000 public comments opposing the unlabeled introduction of meat and milk from animal clones.

We need to know more before the FDA releases cloned animals into our food supply. The health risks associated with the consumption of food products from cloned animals is not well documented or available to consumers. Denmark has already banned food from cloned animals and the entire European Union is examining this closely. The California state legislature recently passed a bill requiring labeling of products from clones animals, and though the Governor vetoed it, it is a clear sign that consumers do not want this technology on their plates.

To address these concerns, Senators Mikulski and Specter have introduced an amendment (Amendment #3524) to the Farm Bill to address the need for more information about food products from cloned animals. The studies focus on elements not included in the FDA initial risk assessment:

- Implications of permitting food from cloned animals into the food supply, particularly meat and milk exports shifts that would take place as other countries react and potentially ban exports from the United States;
- Effectiveness of programs already in place at USDA to monitor food products from cloned animals;
- Documentation of the health effects and costs attributed to milk from cloned animals in the food supply; and
- Evaluation of the potential public health effects and associated health care costs attributable to the commercialization of food from cloned animals

The FDA should not be permitted to issue the final risk assessment on the safety of cloned animals and food products derived from cloned animals until these studies are done.

Please take a moment to contact your Senators and tell them you SUPPORT Senator Mikulski and Specter’s amendment (#3524) to delay cloning until we know more.