Brussels, 08 September 2008

Brussels, 8 September 2008 - The European Parliament (EP) adopted last 3 September with an overwhelmingly majority a proposal to ban cloning of animals for food purposes. The resolution urges now the Commission to be consistent with this decision by prohibiting cloning of animals for food and any products from cloned animals and their offspring.

In this respect, Euro Coop fully supports the declaration of Neil Parish, president of the Parliamentary Intergroup on Animal Welfare, who highlighted that "MEPs showed they care about animals by voting for a ban on cloning for food. We now call on the Commission to follow their good example and come up with a strong proposal that will protect the welfare of animals."

Euro Coop is in fact pleased to hear that the European Parliament, acting in its capacity of representative of the European people, has voiced consumers' concerns over the safety of food derived from clones, the health and welfare problems that the technique causes to animals and the potential reduction of genetic diversity that widespread use of cloning might induce. Moreover Euro Coop considers that cloning is still at early days and strongly believes that better understanding of this technology will require more scientific data and further research.

After the EP's vote, Euro Coop's Secretary General Rodrigo Gouveia commented: "The European parliamentary assembly has given a strong signal against cloning which the Commission cannot ignore. It is now up to the EU's executive branch to take up the challenge and act consistently with the EP's resolution thereby also taking into consideration consumers' worries on such delicate issue." Mr. Gouveia also added that "It is now high time to start a more open debate with consumers. The EU cannot afford to wait until food resulting from cloned animals is on supermarket shelves to initiate that". Due to the importance that the issue represents for European consumers, Euro Coop also calls for a swift reaction from the European Commission.

EURO COOP is the European Community of Consumer Cooperatives, whose members are the national organisations of consumer cooperatives in 18 European countries. Created in 1957, EURO COOP today represents over 3,200 local and regional cooperatives, the members of which amount to more than 25 million consumers across Europe.

For more information please contact:

Rodrigo Gouveia, Secretary General, Euro Coop
Tel: +32 (0)2 285 00 70
E-mail: infoateurocoop.coop