The United Kingdom has approved the use of lab-grown meat in pet food. This makes it the first country to legalize the product for this use and the first European country to legalize it for sale for any purpose. The approval was in response to an application by a UK startup called Meatly.

According to Meatly, the announcement makes it the first company in the world to receive authorization to sell cultivated pet food. The approval required review by the Food Standards Agency, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. The company “plans to launch the first samples of its commercially available pet food this year” and intends to reach “industrial volumes” in the next three years, according to a press release.

“Today marks a significant milestone for the European cultivated meat industry,” said Owen Ensor, CEO of Meatly. “I’m incredibly proud that Meatly is the first company in Europe to get the green light to sell cultivated meat. We are proving that there is a safe and low-capital way to rapidly bring cultivated meat to market. We’re delighted to have worked proactively alongside the UK’s regulators to showcase that Meatly chicken is safe and healthy for pets.”

Ag groups make final plea to Congress on farm bill

A broad collection of over 500 organizations has sent a letter to Congressional leaders in what amounts to a last-ditch effort to get movement on a new farm bill this year. State and national advocacy groups covering almost every agricultural commodity and interest addressed the letter to party leadership and Agriculture Committee leadership on both sides of the capitol.

The brief five-paragraph letter, followed by 11 pages of signatures, appeals to the elected officials to “bring a bipartisan 2024 farm bill to fruition.”

“If Congress does not come together this year to enact a bipartisan farm bill, the legislative process will begin anew in the 119th Congress,” the letter states. “Given the significant legislative, and possibly administrative, duties of a new Congress including the seating of new leadership and committees, Senate nominations, and other essential actions during the first months of the 119th Congress, we have concerns that it may not be logistically or politically feasible to advance a new farm bill early in the next Congress. As committed stakeholders and beneficiaries of the farm bill, we cannot continue to wait for updated policies, provisions, initiatives and critical funding that support our collective interests.”

The current farm bill, already operating under a one-year extension, expires Sept. 30. Congress is widely expected to miss this deadline for a new bill, as it will only be in session for three weeks between now and the November election. Those weeks will likely be consumed with other issues such as passing temporary government funding and political messaging bills. Some on the Hill are holding out hope for a farm bill to come together during the lame duck session between the election and the end of the year. 

Hearing investigates potential farm economy downturn

Before heading back to their districts for the August Congressional break, the House Agriculture Committee heard from witnesses warning of a potential major downturn ahead for the farm economy. The panel described a “perfect storm” of headwinds for agriculture that includes dropping commodity prices, increasing input costs, higher borrowing rates and more common natural disasters.

“The testimony from today’s hearing painted a dark picture of the American farm economy and should be a wake-up call for my Democrat colleagues,” said House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-Penn.). “This Committee advanced a bipartisan [farm] bill that effectively responds to the crises outlined today and the pleas of rural America.”

“Unless conditions change, I believe we’re heading into a perfect storm, a storm that I don’t think will be fully appreciated until early next year when farmers try to get loans but are unable to do so because they cannot demonstrate the ability to cash flow,” said Dana Allen-Tully, PhD., a farmer and President of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association. “There are a myriad of factors contributing to this situation, including plummeting crop prices, very high costs of production, interest rates that have doubled, natural disasters for so many around the country, and tightening credit. Our working capital is fast being depleted.”

Witnesses asked the committee to pass a new farm bill containing enhanced risk management tools.

Tony Hotchkiss, Chairman of the Agriculture and Rural Bankers Committee of the American Bankers Association, said, “The meaningful changes proposed in the 2024 Farm Bill will allow bankers to better serve their customers and ensure they have high levels of credit availability in the years to come.”

The committee’s top Democrat, David Scott (D-Ga.), echoed the concerns. “Over the past few years, we have heard the cry for a stronger farm safety net,” he said. “Commodity prices are not keeping up with higher input and credit costs. It is clear that we need to come together – Republicans and Democrats – on a farm bill that strengthens the farm safety net. I remain committed to enacting a truly bipartisan farm bill this Congress that enhances the safety net for farmers and protects the safety net for hungry families.”