WASHINGTON, Dec. 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following is a statement by International Dairy Foods Association President and CEO Connie Tipton:
We view today's announcement of a new national registry to track cloned livestock as a needed first step in addressing consumer concerns over food products from cloned animals. However, we strongly urge the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to continue the current voluntary moratorium on introducing milk and milk-derived products from cloned animals and their progeny. We further call on FDA to fully consider the unintended and negative economic and public health consequences in lifting the moratorium at this time.
IDFA supports congressional provisions adopted both in the 2008 omnibus spending bill and the Senate Farm Bill that would require additional studies before the FDA can issue a final Risk Assessment. Animal cloning is a relatively new niche market technology, and it's important that we have a thorough, deliberative dialogue where people can openly discuss any concerns they may have.
In a December 13, 2007, letter to the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), IDFA, the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) and the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) called on BIO and its members to adopt a policy to continue the voluntary moratorium on introducing food products from cloned animals into the food supply until all major foreign markets have approved the same technology in their countries.
Contact: Jerry Slominski, IDFA Senior Vice President, 202-220-3512.
The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), Washington, D.C., represents the nation's dairy manufacturing and marketing industries and their suppliers, with a membership of 530 companies representing a $90-billion a year industry. IDFA is composed of three constituent organizations: the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF), the National Cheese Institute (NCI) and the International Ice Cream Association (IICA). IDFA's 220 dairy processing members run more than 600 plant operations, and range from large multi-national organizations to single-plant companies. Together they represent more than 85% of the milk, cultured products, cheese and frozen desserts produced and marketed in the United States. IDFA can be found online at http://www.idfa.org/.
International Dairy Foods Association
