Fund cultivated-meat research to stop pandemics

I was disappointed to read United States Agricultural Secretary Brooke Rollins‘ shortsighted plan to defeat bird flu, which is running rampant across the country. The strategy includes $500 million for biosecurity measures, $400 million in aid to factory farms, and $100 million for chicken vaccine research. The package amounts to a $1-billion bailout to a lucrative industry, which has proven itself to be cruel to animals, destructive to the environment, and hazardous to human health.

Dr. Crystal Heath, the executive director of veterinarian group Our Honor, argued this simply represents more of the same failed approach that got us here in the first place. “Instead of propping up antiquated methods of protein production, those that are inherently high risk and wasteful, we could support animal-free methods of protein production,” she said on social media. I completely agree. To be specific, I believe the United States should invest these funds into cultivated-meat research.

For those who don’t know, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without slaughter. These aren’t plant-based options. This is real meat, identical at the cellular level to flesh taken from once living creatures. For example, if you’re allergic to seafood, you will be allergic to cultivated seafood. It may sound like science fiction, but the technology already exists. The only problem is the new protein is currently too expensive to mass produce. This can be rectified with further study.

Among other things, experts are concerned bird flu might lead to a devastating human pandemic, reminiscent of COVID-19. Such an outcome is by no means outside the realm of possibility. While the number of humans infected with bird flu has remained low, that could change quickly. Viruses are constantly adapting. Scientists are discovering bird flu cases amongst an increasingly wide variety of mammals, including mink, cows and cats. The situation is perilous.

Back in March 2020, Liz Specht wrote an article for Wired about COVID-19, which might as well have been discussing bird flu. “Both farmed and caged wild animals create the perfect breeding ground for zoonotic diseases,” she said. “Extraordinarily high population densities, prolonged heightened stress levels, poor sanitation, and unnatural diets create a veritable speed-dating event for viruses to rendezvous with a weakened human host and transcend the species barrier.”

Deadly pandemics can frequently be traced back to animal agriculture. Since livestock are removed from the production process of cultivated meat, widespread adoption of the protein would dramatically reduce the risk of zoonotic diseases making the jump to humans. That’s why our political leaders should do everything possible to accelerate development of this nascent technology. Cellular agriculture is better for human health, in addition to animal welfare and the environment.

Instead of propping up the factory-farm industry — which endangers us all, and is a moral and ecological blight — Rollins should redirect the $1 billion she set aside toward cultivated-meat research. We can overcome the existing technological hurdles. Let’s create institutions like the Tufts University Center for Cellular Agriculture all across the country, including at every agricultural college in America. Such a transformative investment would go a long way toward building a better food system.