Farmers’ Alliance calls to ban lab grown meat in Ireland

The Farmer’s Alliance political party have called for lab grown meat to be banned in Ireland to protect “traditional” meat products.

The announcement was made by the new political party on the social media platform X, as the group called for a ban on “the production, sale or import of lab grown meat in Ireland to protect traditional production methods.”

The meat is created by taking animal cells and growing them in lab conditions. It has been hailed by some environmentalists as a way to reduce carbon emissions by simply growing meat, thus reducing the need for large numbers of farmed livestock, which emit methane in their flatulence. 

In their statement, the Farmers’ Alliance referenced a move by Italian MPs last week, who voted to back a ban on lab-grown meat and animal feed, with the party going on to indicate that Ireland should do likewise.

“Farmers’ Alliance Ireland wants legislation to protect tried and trusted traditional production practices, as we have absolutely no trust in lab-produced frankenstein meat” the group wrote.

“Ireland is renowned for producing high quality, nutrient dense meat,” they said.

“From an environmental point of view we are the most sustainable producers of food globally due to our grass based system.”

The group said that grass-fed meat had many “healthy benefits,” including high amounts of Omega 3, which they said aids “brain development,” Vitamin B12, which “helps make DNA and keeps nerve and red blood cells healthy,” high in protein, and a good source of Iron, Zinc, and more.

“Grass fed meat contains a large proportion of nutrients we need to survive,” the group continued.

“Beef consumption is rising globally due to our increasing population. We believe people should have the right to eat nutritious healthy food.”

To date cultivated lab-grown meat has only been approved for human consumption in Singapore and the United States. The EU has not yet approved this substance, categorising it as a “novel food.”

The Italian government has justified its ban on the basis that traditional meat is part of Italian heritage and food culture, and must be protected to defend the character of Italian farming.