[imgbelt img=28clonedcows.span_.jpg]The European Paliament has voted to outlaw imports of meat that could be from cloned animals. “Currently, (European Union) rules state that only third generation or later offspring from cloned animals can be sold for food,” reports FarmingUK.com. “But with cloning widespread and virtually unregulated in major meat exporting nations like the US, Canada, Argentina and Brazil, there are currently few safeguards to stop cloned meat entering the EU food chain from outside. As a result, EU consumers could unwittingly be eating meat from cloned animals which may have genetic problems.” The vote was part of a larger effort to regulate the sale of “novel foods,” those food made with production techniques not widely in sue before 1997. The New York Times notes that this could include nanotechnology.  Euractiv.com says the Parliament called for a moratorium on the use of nanotechnology in foods until specific risk assessments have been made. The European House wants labels to clearly warn consumers that nanotechnology is being used. The ban on cloned animals could set off a trade dispute with the U.S.