EUROPE’S FARMERS are still stuck in a ‘no-man’s land’ of contradictory advice about cloned livestock – and it is up to Consumer Affairs Commissioner, John Dalli, to clear up the mess.

Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP George Lyon has called on the European Commission to clarify its position on the sale of products from cloned animals across the entire European single market.

Mr Lyon said Commissioner Dalli had thrown the farming industry into a state of confusion with his assertion that ‘foods from the offspring of cloned animals are considered conventional foods and so no specific measure is applicable to them.’

This directly contradicted the UK Food Standards Agency’s position that milk and meat from cloned animals are ‘novel foods’ with suppliers compelled to get authorisation before selling the produce.

“The job of the European Food Standards Agency is to ensure the food chain of the EU Member States is free from potentially harmful influences,” said Mr Lyon.

“But with so many national food safety authorities interpreting the rules in different ways, farmers are now left walking in no mans land through a minefield of contradictory advice.

“The commissioner’s intervention, which flies in the face of advice given by the UK FSA, has left us with far more questions than answers.

“The commissioner must come before the European Parliament and make it clear that the rules governing cloned animal produce must be the same across Europe and that national food safety authorities, including the UK FSA, must come into line with the Commission’s ruling,” said Mr Lyon.