To the editor
By Jon Hochschartner
I was sad to learn the Biden administration plans to spend $1 billion to increase the nation’s slaughter capacity. Instead, the White House should invest these funds into open-access cultivated-meat research. For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without slaughter. It’s better for the environment, public health and animal welfare.
Cultivated meat 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 diseases making the jump to humans is eliminated. Finally, widespread adoption of cultivated meat would mean relegating battery cages, gestation crates, and livestock trucks to a less compassionate past.
The Biden administration shouldn’t prop up an outdated industry which is harming the planet, our health and our fellow creatures. They should use the funding for open-access cultivated-meat research. This will help bring these products to market faster, at a competitive price with slaughtered meat. It will also assist the development of whole-cut offerings, like cultivated steak.
