Talking about the future: how in
vitro meat may solve a moral
dilemma for meat lovers and do
good for the environment
Stellan Welin
Linköping University
Sweden
The risk of being silly
 Old predictions of what the future may look
like are often wrong and silly
 Air travel in 2000 according to Swedish TV
program in the 60th
Science fiction….
 It is hard to seriously discuss the impacts,
dangers and benefits of a new technology
until it is already there.
 It is just science fiction
 When the technology is already there it is
too late
It is already going on
 IVF and stem cell technologies
 The possibilities for regulation are still there
 Saying yes or no to the technology not
possible
Pure science fiction?
 Ectogenesis or out-of-the-body-pregnancy
 J.B.S Haldane
 Aldous Huxley ”Brave New World”
 Feminist discussion
New technologies may create new
moral space
The case of Ectogenesis
 Most arguments in favour of abortions rely
heavily on the biological fact that the fetus
develops inside the female body.
 Most arguments for the present legal
situation in Western countries that women
alone decide on whether or not to continue
the pregnancy rest on the same biological
fact.
New technology and new risks
 The discussion often (rightly) focus on the
dangers of new technologies
 The risk society
New technology may create new
moral problems
 At present, everyone who has a functioning
kidney could wonder if he or she should
donate the kidney to someone with endstage renal disease as a living donor.
 Is keeping both kidneys consistent with the
duty of helping suffering human beings?
New technology may do away with
(some) moral problems
 if a kidney for transplantation can be tissue
engineered then there is no need to donate.
 That particular moral problem goes away
Moral problems of meat eating
Bad for the environment
 The overall worldwide livestock activities
have been estimated by Steinfeld et al.
(2006) to contribute 18% of the total
anthropogenic emitted green house gases.
 A conservative estimate is that about 80% of
the energy input in animal farming is lost.
 Meat eating is hurting the environment and
the climate
Moral problems of meat eating
bad for animals
 A general consensus seems to be that
animal suffering is evil and should be
avoided as far as possible
 Confined indoor intensive meat production
causes animal suffering
 Killing animals not necessarily wrong – but
making them suffer.
 Some claim killing animals always wrong
In vitro meat




Producing meat without suffering
No animals need to be kept to be killed
Less environmental impact
More control in a confined bioreactor
Gone with the wind?
 Fewer domestic animals around
 The end of thousands of years of traditional
domestic animal husbandry
 No more sheep in New Zealand(?)
conclusion
 Tissue engineering of meat will constitute a
moral progress and we should try to realise
it.
 You can enjoy meat eating without causing
suffering or hurting the environment (so
much)
 Direct medical benefits will also be gained
by developing this technology
The EU project
 IMPROVESS
 In vitro Meat PROduction is Vital for
Environmental and Societal Sustainability
 Call FP7-KBBE-2009-3
 Activity 2:2 Fork to farm
 Subactivity KBEE-2-2-3 Sustainable food
and feed processing