Share:
Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2023 - 2024
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | January 23, 2024 02:50 PM |
|---|---|
| From: | Senator Doug Mastriano |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | Protecting PA Farmers: Prohibiting the Sale and Distribution of Lab-Grown Meat |
| In the near future, I will be introducing legislation to prohibit the sale and distribution of any meat in Pennsylvania produced from cultured animal cells (lab-grown). Pennsylvania is home to almost 3,000 pig farms, nearly 10,000 poultry farms, and over 13,000 beef cattle farms. These industries combine for $20 billion in economic output and over 80,000 jobs. In June 2023, the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the first time approved the sale of chicken made from lab-grown animal cells, permitting two California companies to serve lab-grown meat at restaurants and supermarkets nationwide. Lab-grown meat products are grown in steel tanks, using cells that come from a living animal, a fertilized egg or a special bank of stored cells. There are currently no uniform rules or regulations that require labeling for lab-grown meat. This means consumers could conceivably consume this meat while at a restaurant or ordering take out without even knowing it was produced synthetically. The prevalence of lab-grown meat production will have detrimental effects on our local farming communities. The nation of Italy recently realized the damage that would be done to their agriculture industry and banned lab-grown meats on a national level. While large corporate farms may have the capital to survive this new threat, many smaller family-owned farms here in PA will be put out of business. My legislation will protect our farmers and consumers by prohibiting the sale and distribution of lab-grown meat products in Pennsylvania. Please join me as co-sponsor. |