Italy could face EU fines over ban on lab-grown meat
Italy could face EU fines over a ban on lab-grown meat aimed at protecting the country’s culinary heritage and farmers’ livelihoods.
The law prohibits the production, sale and consumption of laboratory-produced food “from cell cultures or tissue derived from vertebrate animals”.
Factories breaching the new rules will face fines of up to 150,000 euros (￡131,000) and risk being shut down, while owners may lose their right to obtain public funding for up to three years.
The law was passed by Italy’s lower house of parliament on Thursday, having already been approved by the Senate.
The bill was introduced by Francesco Lollobrigida, minister for agriculture and “food sovereignty” in Giorgia Meloni’s Right-wing government.
Lollobrigida sceptical of new innovations
Mr Lollobrigida, who is Ms Meloni’s brother-in-law, and grandnephew of the actress Gina Lollobrigida, said the approval of the law “puts Italy at the vanguard of the world”.
“We are proud to be the first country to ban it,” he said.
Mr Lollobrigida has waged a campaign in defence of Italy’s traditional food products and takes a dim view of scientific innovations.
He is also sceptical of food products that contain flour made from insects and has called for them to be clearly marked as such on packaging.
The new law also bans the use of terms such as “steak”, “burger” and “salami” for plant-based vegan or vegetarian products.
The ban on synthetic meats was backed by Coldiretti, a powerful farmers’ organisation. Farmers were concerned that if approved, synthetic meats would harm the consumption of traditional products such as steak, prosciutto and mortadella.
‘Heavy fines’ warning
Laboratory-grown meat is currently not permitted in the EU. But opposition politicians said that if the bloc does eventually decide to allow it, Italy would be in breach of single market rules.
“With the ban on the production and distribution of cultured meat, the Meloni government exposes Italy to the almost certain risk of infringement procedures and heavy fines,” said Piercamillo Falasca, the deputy head of the opposition +Europa (More Europe) party.
Without the ban, Italy could have become “a lead producer of cultivated meat” because of its expertise in the food sector, he said.
Proponents of synthetic meat argue that it is more climate-friendly than traditional livestock production because it produces significantly less greenhouse gas emissions and requires less water and land.
The process would also offer customers a product that does not involve the killing of cattle, sheep, pigs and other animals.
Bill ‘isolates Italy’
The Good Food Institute, an advocacy group, said the ban would hamper the fight against climate change and force Italian experts in the field to go abroad to seek work.
“This bill not only deprives consumers of choice but also isolates Italy from the investment and job creation offered by this burgeoning industry,” said Francesca Gallelli, the institute’s public affairs consultant.
“The debate surrounding cultivated meat in Italy has been fuelled by misinformation, as hearings in the Senate intentionally excluded cultivated meat companies and supporters while allowing false claims from opponents of this sustainable food,” she added.
Lab-grown meat can be produced with 92 per cent less emissions than conventional beef, the institute said.
Only a few countries in the world have given the green light to the production and consumption of cultivated meat.
Singapore became the first country in the world to do so, in December 2020. It was followed by the US in June this year.
“The fact that cultivated meat has passed this rigorous approval process shows that it will be part of a safe and sustainable food future,” the Good Food Institute said.
“But it is likely to be some years before people in Europe are able to buy cultivated meat from the supermarket.”
