The Regulatory Challenge of Animal Cloning for Food: The Risks of Risk Regulation in the European Union

European Journal of Risk Regulation, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 31, 2010

Posted: 23 Feb 2010

See all articles by Maria Weimer

Maria Weimer

Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance, University of Amsterdam

Date Written: February 1, 2010

Abstract

In this article I describe and analyse the current regulatory developments at EU level concerning the marketing of foods produced from cloned animals. As they are on the verge of commercialisation in countries outside the EU, especially in the United States, foods from cloned animals are likely to reach the European consumers in the foreseeable future. Yet at the moment there is no specific legal framework that regulates such products in the EU. The European institutions have, however, opened up a debate to determine the appropriate European policy approach towards animal cloning. The recent discussion reveals that the variety of potential yet very uncertain risks associated with animal cloning renders the drafting of suitable legislation difficult. At the same time, Europe’s regulation of food risks also entails certain regulatory risks of its own (e.g. risks of political, economic, and legal conflicts within the EU as well as with EU’s trade partners). By considering the discussion on animal cloning in the broader context of EU’s regulation of genetically modified organisms and of nanotechnology, I identify the legal and political problems of current regulatory options. I argue that such problems should be openly addressed in the regulatory discussion; it is possible for them to be minimised if lessons are drawn from previous regulatory experience.

Keywords: EU Law, Food Safety, Animal Welfare, Risk Regulation

Suggested Citation

Weimer, Maria, The Regulatory Challenge of Animal Cloning for Food: The Risks of Risk Regulation in the European Union (February 1, 2010). European Journal of Risk Regulation, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 31, 2010, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1557156

Maria Weimer (Contact Author)

Amsterdam Centre for European Law and Governance, University of Amsterdam ( email )

P.O.Box 1030
Amsterdam, 1000 BA
Netherlands

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