Cultured Meat

August 23, 2008

Hi everyone

Someone who's just joined mentioned in their "why I want to join" blurb a website advocating "cultured meat". Not having come across this outside the realms of Sci Fi before, I was interested, so had a little read, and have to say I'm somewhat drawn on the issue - would love to know what others think. The websites I looked at were: http://www.whyculturedmeat.org/, and http://www.futurefood.org/in-vitro-meat/index_en.php.

On the one side, there is a lot to be said for the fact that it would reduce the amount of cruelty considerably, and would undoubtedly be a benefit environmentally speaking. There would be no longer any need to intensively factory farm animals to produce meat. However, I still have reservations, primarily because animals would still need to be kept in order to produce the cells which would be taken in order to grow the cultured meat. There would still be a relationship of exploitation between humans and animals - they would still be farmed, albeit less intesively, as a "product" for humans to use. Presumably, when they get to a point in their lives where they become costly to maintain, they would still have their lives cut short. Presumably, unwanted baby animals would still be slaughtered, as they would be unnecessary to the production of meat. Furthermore, if cultured meat takes off, many people might feel that it was "a step in the right direction", and feel that their guilt in eating meat could be assuaged, thereby increasing meat consumption, and adding to the number of animals which would need to be kept in order to take cells from to culture the mea, thereby increasing the exploitative system of animal husbandry.

Quite honestly, I thought the arguments on the "whyculturedmeat" site come from a naive misunderstanding of how the meat industry works, and of what the actual results of cultured meat would be. They wouldn't result in an end to an exploitative and abusive relationship between humans and animals, they would simply reduce the number of animals needed to fulfill the demand for meat, and therefore result in an initial massive killing of "unwanted" farm animals, followed by a continued abuse of animals for the collection of cells. The site also has a fundamental misunderstanding of animal rights, and mostly seems to want to suggest that the approach of animal right activists is misguided... not to mention historical inaccuracies concerning the end of slavery in the US!

Now, what I feel would be a real solution would be to have cultured meat grown from cells taken from human volunteers.... but then how many people would be prepared to eat human meat? Personally, I'd rather eat meat grown from cells from human volunteers, than that grown from cells which would maintain an exploitative view of animals as a commodity for humans to use... And as the website clearly highlights as it's main argument "At least 80% of the public eat/does what it is being told by the industry/media. If the meat industry will have an interest to use cultured meat instead of farmed meat, the public will cooperate (as it always does)", so presumably this would equally be the case for meat cultured from human volunteers.

I feel that "whyculturedmeat.org" should change their approach. They should stop supporting a concept which will perpetuate the exploitative use of animals, and start supporting the idea of human cell donors for cultured meat - every argument they present works *better* for human-volunteer-based cultured meat than it does for animal-exploited-based cultured meat.

But what do other folk think?

BB

Peter

August 23, 2008

Hi Peter

It is very weird - very frankenstein type feeling to it.

I have thought about this quite a bit, and I don't like the idea. As you say, they will need a certain amount of animals to grow the 'meat' so animals will still be just a commodity.

Incidentally, if the meat is grown this way surely it won't taste the same anyway - afterall the animals eat different foods which must influence the way they taste. Some people might not like the taste.

I still think the best thing for the planet is for everyone to eat vegan - I don't see why they need to try to do these weird things.

BBJo

-

Peter

Saturday, August 23, 2008 8:22 AM

"Cultured Meat"

Hi everyone

Someone who's just joined mentioned in their "why I want to join" blurb a website advocating "cultured meat". Not having come across this outside the realms of Sci Fi before, I was interested, so had a little read, and have to say I'm somewhat drawn on the issue - would love to know what others think. The websites I looked at were: http://www.whyculturedmeat.org/, and http://www.futurefood.org/in-vitro-meat/index_en.php.

On the one side, there is a lot to be said for the fact that it would reduce the amount of cruelty considerably, and would undoubtedly be a benefit environmentally speaking. There would be no longer any need to intensively factory farm animals to produce meat. However, I still have reservations, primarily because animals would still need to be kept in order to produce the cells which would be taken in order to grow the cultured meat. There would still be a relationship of exploitation between humans and animals - they would still be farmed, albeit less intesively, as a "product" for humans to use. Presumably, when they get to a point in their lives where they become costly to maintain, they would still have their lives cut short. Presumably, unwanted baby animals would still be slaughtered, as they would be unnecessary to the production of meat. Furthermore, if cultured meat takes off, many people might feel that it was "a step in the right direction", and feel that their guilt in eating meat could be assuaged, thereby increasing meat consumption, and adding to the number of animals which would need to be kept in order to take cells from to culture the mea, thereby increasing the exploitative system of animal husbandry.

Quite honestly, I thought the arguments on the "whyculturedmeat" site come from a naive misunderstanding of how the meat industry works, and of what the actual results of cultured meat would be. They wouldn't result in an end to an exploitative and abusive relationship between humans and animals, they would simply reduce the number of animals needed to fulfill the demand for meat, and therefore result in an initial massive killing of "unwanted" farm animals, followed by a continued abuse of animals for the collection of cells. The site also has a fundamental misunderstanding of animal rights, and mostly seems to want to suggest that the approach of animal right activists is misguided... not to mention historical inaccuracies concerning the end of slavery in the US!

Now, what I feel would be a real solution would be to have cultured meat grown from cells taken from human volunteers.... but then how many people would be prepared to eat human meat? Personally, I'd rather eat meat grown from cells from human volunteers, than that grown from cells which would maintain an exploitative view of animals as a commodity for humans to use... And as the website clearly highlights as it's main argument "At least 80% of the public eat/does what it is being told by the industry/media. If the meat industry will have an interest to use cultured meat instead of farmed meat, the public will cooperate (as it always does)", so presumably this would equally be the case for meat cultured from human volunteers.

I feel that "whyculturedmeat.org" should change their approach. They should stop supporting a concept which will perpetuate the exploitative use of animals, and start supporting the idea of human cell donors for cultured meat - every argument they present works *better* for human-volunteer-based cultured meat than it does for animal-exploited-based cultured meat.

But what do other folk think?

BB

Peter