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The UK became the first European state to legalize the commercial production of laboratory-grown meat. For now, this meat will only be used in pet food, snob.ru reports, citing the Financial Times.
Meatly has received approval from the UK’s Animal and Plant Health Agency and plans to begin supplying farmed chicken to feed manufacturers this year.
FT notes that the legalization of a new type of meat became possible thanks to Brexit, since now the UK is not obliged to follow EU rules.
Cultured meat is produced from animal cells in special bioreactors. It is not currently approved for use in human food in the UK, although some countries such as Israel, Singapore and most US states already do.
Owen Ensor, CEO of Meatly, believes that pet food will be the starting point for the development of the artificial meat market. He also expressed concern that cultured meat could face bans for political reasons rather than health, safety or ethical concerns.
The UN is looking at cultured meat and alternative milk as a way to cut climate-damaging emissions, given that livestock farming accounts for about 20% of global warming emissions.