食品伙伴网报道，由美国一家媒体《纽约时报》所报道的一则关于“克隆牛奶和牛肉流可能被纳入英国的饮食供应”的新闻，无疑是在英国的后院放了一把火，这在英国国内引起了轩然大波。据来自美国食品新闻网8月4日的消息，最近出版的《纽约时报》对此进行的报道，其聚焦在克隆牲畜在欧洲的出现，并提到之前欧洲针对转基因农作物的强硬的禁令，以及因为此禁令而引起的与主要农业出口国，如美国、巴西、阿根廷等之间的贸易纠纷。正如对待转基因作物，传统的欧洲消费者对转基因动物也普遍比较抵触。据食品安全新闻报道，早在今年初夏，一份欧盟法规文件就被放到了各成员国政府的桌子上等待其签字，如果该法案通过，则欧盟法律会禁止所有由克隆动物及其后代所产出的奶制品和肉类。
《纽约时报》的记者在英国采访了当地的一位农场主，文章里说：“另一个英国奶农称，他的农场每天所生产的牛奶中的一部分是来自一个克隆繁殖系的，并且他还向加拿大的饲养者销售这种克隆牛的胚胎。这位奶农坚持不肯透露姓名，他说，英国公众对克隆很反感，如果他被曝光，就会没人买他的牛奶。
《纽约时报》这篇爆炸新闻于7月29日发表，发表后引起了英国全国恐慌，并波及欧洲乃至全世界，文中所引用的匿名农民的话，也如星星之火，正在燎原，目前被英国各大媒体，以及英国广播公司BBC、美国广播公司ABC、加拿大新闻媒体和澳大利亚食品纷纷转载。
而英国食品标准局的官网上于本周发布了2份新闻声明，声称：该机构正在尽其一切力量，以找到有争议的乳牛。该局的对广泛的范围进行了调查，尤其是农场主组织、乳品行业、地方当局以及养殖协会等。该局在其出版的第二份新闻声明中透露2头产自美国克隆母牛的公牛已被宰杀，其中一头的肉去年已进入市场，上周被宰杀的那头目前已被销毁。此外英国食品标准局还透露，调查者还发现了一头乳牛，是由来自克隆繁殖系的精子所繁殖，但是无法确认她的牛奶是否流入市场。
食品安全新闻网还称，虽然世界上第一只克隆动物“多利”诞生于英国，但目前英国却一直向胚胎出口国，如美国等，购买此类商品。
BBC报道，只有8只胚胎被运到英国，每个胚胎可能要花费高达$15943。而来自这些胚胎以及其后代的奶和肉类已流入市场。而英国并未建立一套合适的机制，以记录这些进口胚胎及其后台的流向。
虽然英国食品标准局的声明中写到目前没有确凿的证据证明这些来自克隆动物的食品有危险，但是在欧洲普遍的共识是克隆动物是不道德的。荷兰环保部长卡迪卡对《纽约时报》记者说，欧盟议会的大多数人都明确反对违反伦理的来自克隆动物的工业化肉类生产，克隆动物遭受极高发生率的疾病、畸形以及过早死亡。
英国食品标准局在其最近的新闻声明中结尾处说：“该局想提醒食品行业的经营者，他们有责任确保他们所生产的食品是符合法律规定的，若要销售来自克隆动物及其后代的食品，须递交申请，并获得欧盟范围内的认可，而在获得许可之前，任何此类食品不得进入市场。
本报道由食品伙伴网编译整理，仅供食品行业相关人士参考，详细内容以国外原文报道为准。
原文地址：http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2010/08/anonymous-farmer-sparks-clone-debate-in-britain/
英国食品标准局相关新闻声明：
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/aug/cloned
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/aug/clonedinvest2
http://www.food.gov.uk/news/newsarchive/2010/aug/updateclonedanimals
食品伙伴网对第三份最新声明的报道：
http://www.cnfood.net/news/daodu/2010/08/166561.html
原文报道：
Anonymous Farmer Sparks Clone Debate In Britain
by Laurel Curran | Aug 04, 2010
The possibility of cloned milk and beef products being integrated into the British food supply has been met with an uproar from consumers, the media, and federal agencies.
The article sparking this most recent controversy was published in the New York Times. It focused on the emergence of cloned livestock in Europe, comparing this to the staunch laws prohibiting genetically modified (GM) crops that have sparked trade disputes with strong agricultural exporting nations such as the United States, Brazil, and Argentina. As with GM crops, European consumers traditionally have shown a general lack of support for cloned animals. Food Safety News reported earlier this summer on a piece of European Union legislation now on the desks of member state governors, awaiting final signatures. If passed, the law ban all meat and dairy products deriving from cloned animals and their offspring.
The farmer interviewed by the New York Times lives and farms in Britain. The article reads: "Another British dairy farmer said he was using milk from a cow bred from a clone as part of his daily production. He also said he was selling embryos from the same cow to breeders in Canada. The farmer insisted on anonymity, saying that the British public regarded cloning as so distasteful that buyers would stop taking his milk."
After this article was published on July 29, fear spread throughout Britain, rippling beyond into Europe and around the world. Articles referencing the anonymous farmer have been published in all major British newspapers, as well as on BBC and ABC, and in The Canadian Press and Australian Food.
The British Food Standards Agency has released two press statements this week, claiming that the agency is doing all in its power to find the controversial dairy cow. "The Agency's investigation has been wide-reaching and has involved, among others, farming organizations, the dairy industry, local authorities, and breed associations," the agency said.
In the interest of transparency, the agency revealed in its second news release that during the process of the dairy cow investigation it discovered two bulls born in the UK to females impregnated with cloned sperm from the United States. Both bulls have been slaughtered. The meat from the first bull named Dundee Paratrooper entered the food supply over a year ago and has since been consumed. The second bull was slaughtered last week and disposed of. This revelation expanded the international debate from milk products to beef.
The Food Standards Agency also revealed that investigators had found a single dairy cow that was bred with cloned sperm, but cannot confirm if her milk has entered the food supply. "As part of this investigation local authority officials are visiting the farm on which this herd is kept," the agency said.
Though "Dolly," the world's first cloned animal, was born in Scotland, the only way for a cloned animal to currently live in Great Britain is through the purchase of embryos from countries exporting such items like the United States.
The BBC reported that only eight embryos have been imported into the UK. Each embryo can cost up to $15,943. The offspring from these embryos are the only cloned cows and bulls whose meat and dairy products could be on the market. The Daily Mail reports that these cows have gone on to produce a further 97 offspring. Britain does not have a system in place to keep track of imported embryos or their offspring.
In one of the reports issued by the Food Standards Agency the authors admit that there has been no conclusive evidence showing cloned animal products are in any way dangerous to human health. However, the general consensus in Europe is that animal cloning may be morally wrong.
Dutch MEP Kartika Liotard explained to the New York Times, "A clear majority in the European Parliament supports ethical objections to the industrial production of cloned meat for food. Cloned animals suffer disproportionately highly from illnesses, malformations, and premature death."
Though there is currently no research implying that cloned animal products can be harmful to human health, current law prohibits such products from being sold. These laws support the many consumer, agricultural, and animal rights groups calling for an outright ban on cloned products due to ethical beliefs.
The FSA ended its most recent news release by saying, "The Agency would like to remind food business operators of their responsibility to ensure food they produce is compliant with the law. In order to produce food products from clones or their offspring, a novel food application must be submitted and authorization granted at a European level before any such food is placed on the market."
