Lower House: stop import of cloned animals

The Lower House says no to the import of cloned animals. A motion by Esther Ouwehand (Party for the Animals) was adopted by a large majority.

Animal cloning is on the rise. In 2011, initiated by the Party for the Animals, the Lower House already voted ‘no’ on animal cloning for food production. Thanks in part to this Lower House ruling, the European Union is now working on an import ban of all cloned farm animals. However, the Party for the Animals has foreseen a loophole in this new law, since the rules do not apply to cloned domestic pets.

At present, in Korea for instance, clone factories are up and coming; places where they mix and match animal DNA with the aim of producing a viable clone. For every successful clone, numerous amounts of deformed animals are brought into this world and then killed. Despite the cruelty these animals suffer, wealthy Americans and Europeans still pay large sums of money to buy a cloned version of their pet. Now that the lower House has adopted the motion by Esther Ouwehand, the government must ensure that these clones are not allowed to enter Europe and Netherlands (anymore).

Ouwehand: “Tinkering with animal DNA is immoral and causes so much animal suffering. This applies not only to Herman the bull, but also to Fikkie 2. It is encouraging to see that the Lower house draws a clear line here when it comes to animal use!”