Farmers' Alliance calls for lab-grown meat to be banned in Ireland

The statement was made by a new political party on social media platform X as the group called for a ban on "the production, sale or import of lab-grown MEAT in Ireland to protect traditional production methods".

Meat is created by taking animal cells and growing them in a laboratory. Some environmentalists have hailed it as a way to cut carbon emissions by simply raising meat, thereby reducing the need for large numbers of farmed livestock, which produce methane gas.

In its statement, the Farmers' Alliance cited the decision of Italian MPs last week who voted to ban lab-grown meat and animal feed, with the party saying Ireland should do the same.

“The Irish Farmers Alliance wants legislation to protect proven and traditional production methods as we have absolutely no trust in lab-produced Frankenstein meat,” the group wrote.