CThe Food Standards Agency has confirmed it will investigate reports that milk from a cow produced from a cloned parent is on sale in Britain.

The move came after newspaper reports said an anonymous British farmer had admitted using the milk as part of his daily production.

Under European law, foodstuffs – including milk – produced from cloned animals must pass a safety evaluation and be approved before they are marketed.

The FSA said it had not approved the milk and would launch an investigation into the reports.

On Thursday, the International Herald Tribune reported that an unnamed farmer was selling milk from a cow bred from a clone. The farmer said he was selling embryos from the same cow to breeders in Canada.

An FSA spokeswoman said: “Since 2007 the FSA interpretation of the law has been that meat and products from clones and their offspring are considered novel foods and would therefore need to be authorized before being placed on the market.

“As the UK authority responsible for accepting novel food applications the agency has not received any applications relating to cloning and no authorizations have been made.

“The agency will of course investigate any reports of unauthorized novel foods entering the food chain.”