At present, the EGE does not see convincing arguments to justify the production of food from clones and their offspring. If in the future food products derived from cloned animals were to be introduced to the European market, the EGE recommends that the following requirements are met:
- Food safety - The safety of food products for human consumption as a pre-condition for their marketing must be guaranteed and scientific updates and follow up research into progeny should be carried out.
- Animal welfare and health - In accordance with the Amsterdam Treaty (animals as sentient beings) and the Lisbon Treaty, additional requirements should be met in intensive animal breeding, with the aim of following the guidance on animal welfare provided by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), e.g. the five freedoms: from hunger, thirst and malnutrition; from fear and distress; from physical and thermal discomfort; from pain, injury and disease; and to express normal patterns of behaviour.
- Traceability - Current EU legislation on food regarding traceability of animals and their food products should be enforced. It should be ensured that EU legislation provides for the ability to identify individual animals where necessary.
- Global trade - The import of cloned animals, their offspring and materials derived from cloned animals (e.g. semen and food products) should be conditional on proper documentation, in particular with regard to traceability provisions and animal welfare.
