Senator Chris Murphy supports increased federal funding for cultivated-meat research, according to a letter he wrote to his constituent, Jon Hochschartner of Granby. Hochschartner has encouraged Murphy to take such a stance by demonstrating outside the senator’s Hartford office, among other things.
For readers who aren’t familiar with the term, cultivated meat is grown from animal cells, without slaughter. Proponents argue it’s better for the environment, public health and animal welfare, since it requires a fraction of the greenhouse-gas emissions to produce the meat that raising livestock does, limits the risk of zoonotic diseases making the leap to humans, and could relegate cruel farming practices to the past.
“Our planet is in the midst of an ecological catastrophe, and the need to address climate change is more urgent than ever,” Murphy wrote. “That is why I support additional USDA funding to help address climate change, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and support research that helps farmers improve their response to climate change.”
Murphy continued, noting the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently provided a grant to Tufts University to fund the National Institute for Cellular Agriculture. “This research was funded through the Agricultural and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), a program I have consistently supported through my role on the Senate Appropriations Committee,” he said.
The senator pledged to do more. “I will continue to fight for increases to agriculture research at AFRI and across the USDA so more research to help respond to climate change within the agriculture sector can be funded,” he said. “I have spent my career in Congress fighting to protect the environment, and I will continue to support government action that I believe will further those goals.”
Readers can learn more by visiting SlaughterFreeAmerica.Substack.com