December 21, 2023

French Republicans propose bill to ban cultivated meat production and sales

The Republicans party of France has introduced a bill in the National Assembly aimed at prohibiting the production and marketing of cultivated meat in the country, Vegeconomist reported.

The proposed law states that in the interests of human health, animal health, and the environment, it is forbidden to produce, process, and market synthetic meat anywhere in France. Advocates of the bill argue that cultivated meat, produced by companies like Vital Meat and Gourmey, could replace low-quality imported meat with a highly processed alternative containing "questionable additives."

Pauline Grimmer, policy officer at GFI Europe, said this bill is a needless attack on consumer choice and local start-ups and would cut France off from investment and job opportunities. Grimmer said it would also undermine efforts to tackle climate change just as the UN Environment Programme and countries around the world recognise cultivated meat‘s potential.

During a recent session at the French National Assembly, supporters of the bill labelled cultivated meat as "junk food" and criticised the idea of replacing one form of processed food with another. Despite these claims, concerns were raised about cultivated meat production posing a real threat to livestock farming, according to Reussir.

This move echoes Italy's recent actions against biotechnology, where the country banned cultivated meat without EU review to preserve its gastronomic heritage. In a similar vein, France recently proposed new regulations to prohibit meat-related terms like "steak" and "ham" in plant-based meat products.

The parliamentary group supporting the prohibition of "anthropogenic" cell-cultivated products cited a 2023 report by the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, raising cultural and ethical concerns regarding cell-based foods. French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie has expressed scepticism about the benefits of cell-based meat, framing it as a misguided scientific endeavour.

The Fédération Nationale Bovine (The National Bovine Federation) welcomed the political initiative, citing concerns about the health and environmental impacts of cultivated meat. On the opposing side, the Confédération Paysanne and Coordination Rurale firmly oppose the production of cell-cultured meat, while the Fédération nationale des syndicats d‘exploitants agricoles seeks more evidence of the benefits of cultivated meat.

Alongside introducing the bill, the parliamentary group denounced the financing of two French biotechs, Vital Meat and Gourmey, by Bpifrance, expressing concerns about the hesitations of current public authorities. Vital Meat emphasises the environmental benefits of cultivated meat, stating it uses fewer resources, while Gourmey secured EUR 48 million (US$52.5 million) last year to further develop cultivated foie gras.

-      Vegconomist