APPENDIX C

CONSULTATION - LETTER AND THOSE WHO PROVIDED A VIEW

AWC 448
4 September 1997

Dear Sir/Madam

THE WELFARE IMPLICATIONS OF CLONING FARMED LIVESTOCK

1. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC) to consider the implications of cloning for the welfare of farmed livestock.

2. The Ministry's current policy on the cloning of farm animals is guided by the recommendations of the Report of the Committee to Consider the Ethical Implications of Emerging Technologies in the Breeding of Farm Animals (the Banner Committee). The Committee concluded that "As regards the alleged risks involved in the production of genetically identical stock, these seem to us to be illusory". However, MAFF is conscious of public concerns not only about animal health and welfare but also the ethics of cloning animals and FAWC has also been asked whether it feels the technique raises any further moral or ethical issues

3. The Council has set up a working group to review all the available evidence and take views, in writing and directly, from interested organisations.

4. Issues already identified by the working group are:

• the potential stress of the surgical and other techniques and procedures involved, including the impact of oversized offspring;
• losses of embryos and fetuses post-implantation and pre-birth, birth abnormalities and the affect of inserting aged DNA into oocytes on long term survival and mobidity;
• potential welfare problems due to loss of genetic diversity; and
• the wider moral and ethical concerns including the ethical dimensions of the points above.

5. FAWC would welcome your views on the above points and on any other aspects of relevance to the implications of this technique for the welfare of the animals. Views are also sought on the wider moral or ethical issues. While research earning media attention is currently concerned with sheep, the technique may have implications for other farmed species and views are sought with regard to all livestock.

6. Please send your comments to Richard Aram at the above address
(tel: 0181 330 8031, fax: 0181 335 4274) to reach him by 31 October 1997.

Yours faithfully

R HOLDSWORTH
Secretary