U.K. Milk from cloned cows given green light by Defra - Telegraph

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The comments are the clearest sign that the Government will give the official green light to farmers and food companies who want to supply butchers and supermarkets with the controversial products.

However, animal welfare campaigners said they were "utterly dismayed" by the ministerial statement, saying it opened the door to widespread cloning, with consumers unable to tell whether they were eating meat originating a cloned animal or not.

The statement was made by Jim Paice, the food and farming minister, in response to a written question from Zac Goldsmith, the Conservative MP.

Currently the Food Standards Agency believes that any food company attempting to sell food from not just a cloned animal – but crucially, also the offspring of a cloned animal – needs to apply for a so-called "novel food" licence.

Mr Paice pointed out that the Europe Commission interpreted the current food legislation differently from the FSA; the Commission believes the rules apply only to food from cloned animals themselves, not their offspring.

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Labour finally gives up on ID cards

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You Would think that Americans would get this and stand up as well.

clipped from www.politics.co.uk Labour has decided to back down in its fight to introduce ID cards after years of campaigning for their introduction. The surprise move came this afternoon, during the second reading of the identity documents bill, which would repeal both ID cards and the national identity register. "We accept the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats have mandate to abandon this measure," shadow home secretary Alan Johnson conceded. But ID cards will remain for foreign nationals coming to the UK, as will the National Biometric Identity Service (NBIS), which retains the biometric details of non-EU migrants living in the UK. "This isn't just about saving money," Ms May said. "It is un-British. We are a freedom loving people. It's a discomfort born of a very British revulsion of over-intrusive government. I pay tribute to all those who campaigned so hard against the introduction of ID cards." The government is moving quickly to end the ID scheme

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