Cultivated Meat and the Prayer of Saint Francis

[JudyM]

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In addition to animal-welfare benefits, cultivated meat is better for the environment and public health. It requires a fraction of the greenhouse-gas emissions to produce that raising livestock does. Since animals are removed from the process, the risk of zoonotic viruses making the jump to humans is eliminated.
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I was happy to learn the U.S. Department of Agriculture is giving $10 million over five years to Tufts University, which will establish a National Institute for Cellular Agriculture. The institute will conduct open-access research into cultivated meat. This will hopefully address ongoing challenges, such as reaching price parity with slaughtered meat.
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This is wonderful news and a great start. But given the technology’s potential to reduce animal suffering — in addition to greenhouse-gas emissions, and pandemic risk — the government should be allocating billions of dollars to the effort, not millions. All those seeking to be instruments of peace should push legislators to increase funding.

Of course, there are many ways to be an instrument of peace. However, in this period of history, I don’t think any is more effective than pressuring lawmakers for further investment in cellular-agriculture development. We can move towards a slaughter-free America, and, eventually, a slaughter-free world, with all the good that entails.

Rapid progress and adoption could make an enormous difference in our climate situation, in addition to minimizing the number of suffering factory-farmed animals.
Thanks for posting this!