It seems the Maltese need to brush up their knowledge of scientific terms as Malta ranked first among all EU member states with the highest number of respondents admitting they were unaware of the term “animal cloning,” according to the latest Eurobarometer study.

Animal cloning is the creation of a genetically identical copy of an existing or previously existing animal. The Eurobarometer survey asked EU citizens to clarify their attitudes towards animal cloning, and its perceived effects on a number of areas including food safety, ethical and animal welfare concerns.

Only 23 per cent of Maltese respondents saying they were unaware of the term. Ireland took the second place with 15 per cent saying they never heard of animal cloning, followed by Romania and Bulgaria (13 per cent).

The awareness levels were the highest in Denmark, followed by Slovenia, Luxem-bourg and the Netherlands.

Malta also came third from last with 19 per cent of respondents correctly saying that animal cloning does not involve genetic modification. Latvia was last with 15 per cent of respondents, followed by Bulgaria with 17 per cent.

When it comes to sources they would trust most to inform them about the safety of cloned animals for human consumption, Malta along with Bulgaria and Romania chose scientists as their most popular choice (36 per cent), followed by the “national and EU food safety agencies” (31 per cent). However, in the three countries, European institutions were placed in third position.