§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what inquiries he has made of the Roslin institute, Edinburgh, concerning the deaths of sheep during experiments into cloning and the excess growth of another animal; if he will publish a full report into the extent of publication of the outcome of the cloning experiments; if he will ban such experiments; and if he will make a statement. [21647]
§ Mrs. BrowningThe Ministry encourages the full publication of scientific results and notes that the original scientific paper inNature disclosed the deaths of three sheep during a cloning experiment. It is aware that the research team plans the publication of further details on the weights of the lambs at birth. The Ministry is aware of the large birthweight offspring and has commissioned research into this problem.
MAFF is guided by the recommendations of the 1995 report of the committee to consider the ethical implications of emerging technologies in the breeding of farm animals—the Banner report—which endorsed cloning, subject to safeguards. Experiments on animals are regulated by the Animal (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which is administered by the Secretary of State for Home Affairs.