[HappyHippy]

While watching the BBC news at 10, I was half fascinated and half horrified by a piece on a scientist who is growing meat from stem cells in order to cater to the worldwide demand for food.

They reckon it's more environmentally friendly, animal welfare friendly and 'efficent' than farming  With one cow producing enough cells for a million burgers. Although I can see the for arguements, I'm not convinced on the merits of meat grown in a lab by men in white coats (could just be my paranoid side though  ) and don't welcome the thought of a world with less farm animals 

So, what's eveyone's thoughts on this - is it one step too far ?
Karen 

[mab]

Well I can certainly see the argument for meat without having to kill animals - but I would be sorry to see the animals go from the countryside (which they would if meat could be grown more cheaply in the lab.

Having said that we still need cows for dairy - so unless they can grow a lactating udder in a pertri-dish there's going to be calves available for meat anyway.

maybe I'm just old fashioned but I don't like the idea much myself.

mab

[Moleskins]

Less cow trumps , less greenhouse gases , that's an upside maybe.

[Fleecewife]

I thought it was truly repellant HH    How a bit of muscle grown flabbily in a dish could be indistinguishable from muscle which has grown on an animal and been exercised all the time and fed on good pasture,  I don't know.  I think that proteins will eventually be produced on a large scale in factories, but I think that trying to reproduce the texture of meat, or grow an artificial steak, is a mistake.  The animals (apart from that original cow) will love it 

[tizaala]

You can't reproduce the flavour of 3 year old grass fed beef, no delicious marbled rib on the bone , no leather etc. just because they can do it does not meen they have to do it.

[manian]

one leap too far 
dunno why i am surprised but more and more pleased i produce my own chicken, pork,lamb and turkey
Mx

[anderso]

One small step !!!!!! no one would think of doing this if you had seen the Film called solant green - from the late 60's early 70's Charlton Heston was the star -

[robert waddell]

hold on there      this is not a world saving idea that is all new     they were producing protein at least 30 years ago   the headlines at the time they were going to revolutionise the beef industry  this was the way forward for poor country's   aye right i wont be getting my nickers in a twist over it      it will come and go like snow of a dyke

[deepinthewoods]

yuck.

[Bangbang]

Do you think the burgers will come with a
'stem -cell buy date ?'

' best beef-4 ' date ?

[anderso]

just think  lamb burgers will they have a "ewes by date"

[jonkil]

I saw that report too...... but wait....
The report said that it was beef... but
It will be neutral colour as it has no blood to make it red !
It has no taste ! .... that will have to be added afterwards !... artificially !
LOL... they have made something akin to a bit of stuff that tastes of nothing and looks... neutral !!
Almost sounds like a McDonald's.....LOL

[deepinthewoods]

maybe thats the point
considering the amount of damage beef farming for macdonalds does across the world.im sure maccy ds customers would never notice the lack of taste or texture.

[Lesley Silvester]

I saw that report too...... but wait....
The report said that it was beef... but
It will be neutral colour as it has no blood to make it red !
It has no taste ! .... that will have to be added afterwards !... artificially !
LOL... they have made something akin to a bit of stuff that tastes of nothing and looks... neutral !!
Almost sounds like a McDonald's.....LOL

  Doesn't it just?  Maybe they've been producing their burgers this way for years.

Personally, if meat started being produced by stem cell, I would go vegetarian.

[tizaala]

Grow yer' own,