Threat assessment that US could fall behind China in developing cell-based meat prompts some Republicans to reverse opposition

What would it take for a Republican to support cultivated meat? Could it be China’s progress in the sector? That’s one way to interpret a letter sent by 11 Republican Congress members to the director of national intelligence and the USDA’s director of homeland security….

[T]he letter was … in direct response to the national intelligence director’s annual threat assessment. That report labelled China’s strategic advancements in “synthetic biology and agricultural biotechnology” as an attempt to “lead the broader biotechnological landscape”.

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“Countries around the world are recognising the need to pursue innovative farming techniques to complement their existing agricultural structures,” the letter reads. “The innovative protein sector’s rapid evolution and its potential to reshape global food markets underscore the urgency of responding to these developments.”

Pointing to precedents that show how rapidly global trade patterns shift, the lawmakers write: “Should China secure a dominant position in the global innovative protein market, it could fundamentally alter food supply dynamics worldwide and give China control of key aspects of global food security dynamics.

This is an excerpt. Read the original post here