News
Italy is set to approve a ban on lab-grown meat
By Joanna Sarah-Freedman
05 Apr 2023
2m
As innovations in lab-grown meat continue at a rapid rate, Italy has taken the bold decision to make moves to ban it.
Yep, the country is set to approve a new bill that effectively means cultured meat won’t be allowed to be sold there, in a bid to support its agri-food industry.
According to Reuters, the bill proposal still needs to be passed by parliament, and they’ll be the ones to determine if “cell cultures or tissues derived from vertebrate animals” are to be banned.
However, it would mean that any company who breaches the ban faces fines up to $65,022 (£52,095).
Italy is considering a ban on lab grown meat (Credit: Alamy)
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Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, who is a senior member of Prime Minister Giogia Meloni’s right-wing party, Brothers of Italy, certainly seems in favour of the ban, too.
“Laboratory products in our opinion do not guarantee quality, well-being and the protection of our culture, our tradition,” he said.
The move has divided opinion online, with some stating that other countries should follow suit, whilst others claimed the move was a blow for animal rights and environmental reasons.
Head of policy at the Good Food Institute Europe, Alice Ravenscroft, said: “The passing of such a law would shut down the economic potential of this nascent field in Italy, holding back scientific progress and climate mitigation efforts
Meanwhile, Anti-vivisection group LAV dubbed the group “an ideological, anti-scientific crusade against progress.”
Italy’s lab grown meat ban is a controversial one (Credit: Alamy)
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Coldiretti, Italy’s biggest farmers’ association, is one organisation that has supported the ban, arguing that homegrown produce needs to be sheltered from “the attacks of multinational companies”.
However, social media seems similarly split.
“I’m really just so very thankful some government somewhere in the world that we live in today is taking ‘food’ and ‘farming’ and ‘nature’ seriously enough to be contemplating this type of legislation and hopefully others will seriously consider something similar,” said one Twitter user.
Whilst another wrote: “Good on them. We should do the same and invest more in our farms.”
“This is one of reasons why I am going to leave Italy. It is a country that does not want to evolve and be better,” chimed in somebody else.
