We have covered the attempts to make “lab-grown” meat popular among consumers, including the rebranding as “cultured meat“.
As woke eco-activists attempt to make this protein option more appealing through a sustainability campaign, many people have a beef with this approach.
Florida’s Governor, Ron DeSantis, has taken matters one step further and banned the sale or manufacture of lab gown meat in the state.
DeSantis said the bill (SB 1084), which includes a series of changes related to the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, will protect the state’s cattle industry against “an ideological agenda that wants to finger agriculture as the problem.”“One of the things that these folks want to eliminate is meat production in the United States,” DeSantis said while behind a lectern stating “Save Our Beef” at the Hardee County Cattlemen’s Arena in Wauchula.
In fact, DeSantis specifically cited the “climate crisis” agenda that is being used to undermine the beef and dairy industries as part of his announcement of the bill.
“They will say that you can’t drive an internal combustion engine vehicle. They’ll say that agriculture is bad. Meanwhile, they’re flying to Davos in their private jets,” DeSantis said.He also poked fun at The World Economic Forum, an international non-governmental organization in Switzerland, that has advocated for insects as an alternative edible protein source instead of animal protein.”I’m sure they’ll say ‘hey, wait a minute, just hear us out before you say yuck,'” joked DeSantis. “To that I say Florida has heard enough on that.”
Progressives and the vegans who love them are upset, decrying attacks on “freedom” and “capitalism”.
I might be more sensitive to that argument were it not for the electric vehicle mandates and the ban on gas stoves I have been battling for many years. What DeSantis did was a preemptive strike…especially as “experts” were lining up to foist cultured meat and insects on us because of animal “consciousness”.
Meanwhile, the agriculture industry is beginning to push back. We first noted the countermeasures being taken meat industry representatives and the United Nations environmental conference in Dubai earlier this year. Representatives went to the heart of environmental extremism and demanded they put “meat back on the menu“…and it was glorious.
More messages about cows’ real environmental impact are making their way to social media and the public dialog. The following snipped comes from Andrea, The Fit Agvocate. She farms in Minnesota with her husband and family, growing corn and owning a small commercial cow/calf herd and feedlot in the southwest corner of the state.
The Cattleman’s Beef Board is following-up with its own sustainability assessments and offers a fascinating perspective on all the benefits we get from cows that are neglected by environmental extremists who complain about their farts.
Beyond delicious and nutritious steaks, roasts and burgers, there are hundreds of uses for cattle by-products. Do you own a car, take a bus or ride a bike? If so, you’re utilizing by-products in the tires on your vehicle and the asphalt on the road. Even items that may seem trivial, such as dyes, inks, adhesives and plastics are made from cattle by-products.Here are a few ways in which cattle by-products touch our lives:
- Hides from cattle are tanned into leather becoming shoes, purses and wallets.
- Cattle organs and glands are used in the production of medicine, insulation, antifreeze, shampoos/conditioners and instrument strings. Some cattle tissue can even be used in human heart valve surgeries!5
- Photo film, vitamin capsules, charcoal and glass are all derived from bones and horns of cattle.
- Inedible beef fat provides us with airplane lubricants, hydraulic brake fluid, biodiesel and medicines.
It is also critical to consider the ecosystem services provided by raising beef. This includes mitigating the risk of wildfires, in addition to benefits from grazing lands such as water regulation & purification, carbon sequestration, and wildlife habitat. The value of these services, estimated at $14.8 billion6 combined with beef’s significant economic contribution to the U.S. economy, are further contributions that must be considered when looking at sustainability across the livestock industry.
While these are interesting developments that give me hope, I am quite mindful eco-activists always seem to find “experts” to produce The Science™ desired to push a narrative…for example, replacing beef and chicken with python meat.
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