HOLLAND BANS CLONING TECHNIQUE

March 1, 1998

POLSBROEK, NETHERLANDS (AP) -- The Dutch government said Friday it was outlawing a technique that produced two cloned calves, annoucing the ban just as scientists were showing off the newborn animals.

The identical female calves, Holly and Belle, lay languidly in their shed Friday while news photographers jostled for a better glimpse. They were born Feb. 17, apparently healthy, on a farm in the northern Netherlands.

The calves, cream-colored with black patches, were produced in a joint experiment by Pharming, the country's leading biotechnology company, and researchers from University of Luik in Belgium.

Although U.S. scientists successfully cloned calves using the same nuclear transfer technique, Holly and Belly were still front-page news here amid growing discussions on the controversial subject.

Pharming said the cloning of its calves remained significant because the embryos were frozen before and after the cloning to allow more time flexibility in their experiment.

But before Pharming could fully savor its success, the Dutch Agriculture Ministry said Friday that it has decided to ban the nuclear transfer technique.

"The method has not been proved necessary. There is no scientific purpose," said ministry spokesman Paul van der Brug.

The ban will not deter Pharming, which said it will continue its research with companies in the United States and Belgium.