Cloned meat on your dinner plate?

THE European Parliament has been in Strasbourg for its plenary session this week (9th to12th May). Topics on the agenda included cloning, lobbying, and shipments of toxic waste.
Talks on new EU rules on ‘novel foods’ - GMOs and food from cloned animals - remain at an impasse after a breakdown in negotiations between MEPs and member states last month.
The main point of disagreement was over member states’ refusal to allow for the labelling of food products from clones and their offspring. Representing the parliament and the European United Left/Nordic Green Left group (GUE/NGL) at the table was Kartika Liotard from the Netherlands.
After the all-night talks broke down, she pointed to massive public opposition to cloning animals for food and said it was “deeply frustrating that member states would not listen to public opinion and support urgently needed measures to protect consumer rights and animal welfare”. MEPs likely to maintain their defence of the vast majority of Europeans who do not want cloned meat on their dinner plates.
The tightening of rules for lobbyists in Brussels has been high on the agenda in the wake of recent scandals that exposed three MEPs who accepted cash in exchange for amendments to legislation from journalists posing as industry lobbyists. The creation of a transparent register for lobbyists based in Brussels is something the Left has been seeking as a first step is tackling the influence of lobby groups but it will not be enough.
The GUE/NGL group has been critical about the often cosy connections between the estimated 15,000 lobbyists and EU decision-makers and will continue to push for a new and stronger code of conduct for MEPs and all EU institutions.