Ambrose Evans-Pritchard of The Telegraph dedicates his most recent column to the latest Chinese long-term plan, which envisions China acting to begin dominating in agriculture, the way it dominates certain other industries today. This includes piloting advancements in lab-grown protein. AEP writes:
It is developing genetically modified seeds and crops, but it is also targeting the fast-growing industries of cellular agriculture, lab-grown proteins and food from precision fermentation: Frankenfoods to some, the saviour of humanity to others.
Systemiq foresees a protein revolution picking up speed through the 2030s and 2040s that will radically change what the Chinese people eat, with spillover effects across Asia and the world. It estimates that half of China’s fish and beef consumption, and 40pc of its dairy products, will come from “alt-protein” sources by the mid-century.
I remain hugely skeptical of the moral and material benefits of lab-grown meat. To me, it seems like an attempt to outdo nature on two of its most efficient and evolved processes: photosynthesis and cellular division.
I don’t think ranching or farming is immoral in any way. A human cannot make even a bed for himself without seizing space that might otherwise be taken up by other living beings. Calling meat murder only makes sense in a world where you’d call quietly dwelling in a room a “hostile occupation.”