National Milk Producers Federation

The following statement was issued by Jerry Kozak, President and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation, in response to the announcement today by federal regulators concerning the scientific review of livestock cloning:

While we are reassured that the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) review finds no health or safety issues with food from cloned animals, we strongly support the request made to continue the moratorium on the marketing of cloned animals and their products during a transition period allowing for the examination of the potential economic implications of a change in the marketing environment.

Thus, we endorse the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s request that cloning technology providers, and the owners of existing cloned livestock, continue to observe the moratorium on the commercial marketing of cloned animal products. This period of purposeful review is important given that opinion research that has indicated a degree of consumer apprehension of this technology.

We also need to make certain that the U.S. regulatory status of cloned animals parallels the regulatory process used in our major export markets. We are ready to work with USDA and other government agencies to facilitate the regulatory review of animal cloning in other countries.

The National Milk Producers Federation, based in Arlington, VA, develops and carries out policies that advance the well being of dairy producers and the cooperatives they own. The members of NMPF’s 32 cooperatives produce the majority of the U.S. milk supply, making NMPF the voice of nearly 50,000 dairy producers on Capitol Hill and with government agencies.