How Cultivated Meat Supports Animal Welfare Goals
- David Bell
- May 1
- 8 min read
Billions of animals endure suffering in meat production each year. Cultivated meat offers a solution by producing real meat from animal cells without raising or slaughtering animals. This process eliminates pain, fear, and harmful practices like tail docking and disbudding.
Key points:
Animal suffering: Over 80 billion land animals are killed annually for food, with many raised in factory farms under harsh conditions.
Cultivated meat: Made from animal cells, it avoids confinement, slaughter, and common farming practices that harm animals.
Production scale: Facilities worldwide are expanding, with companies like Believer Meats and BioTech Foods aiming to produce thousands of tonnes yearly.
Consumer shift: By 2040, cultivated meat could account for 35% of global meat consumption, significantly reducing animal slaughter.
This approach aligns with ethical goals, offering meat without the cruelty tied to conventional farming.
Animal Suffering in Conventional Meat Production
The Numbers Behind Animal Welfare Problems
The scale of animal suffering in modern meat production is staggering. Every year, over 80 billion land-based animals are slaughtered for food worldwide, with estimates for farmed fish ranging from 77 billion to 124 billion [3]. In the UK, about 85% of farmed animals are raised in factory farms [5]. This highlights the pressing need for ethical solutions like cultivated meat.
Fast-growing broiler chickens, bred specifically to gain weight rapidly, endure significant physical discomfort during their short lives. Many suffer from skeletal deformities and chronic pain as a result [3]. Research has shown that moving hens from battery cages to cage-free systems can significantly reduce the time they spend in pain [3].
The UK egg industry provides another grim example: approximately 42 million male chicks - 99% of all males hatched - are killed on their first day of life simply because they do not lay eggs and are not profitable for meat production [5]. Additionally, 90% of calves undergo disbudding (burning horn tissue), and 85% of piglets have their tails docked, often without sufficient pain relief [5].
Why Industrial Farming Cannot Ensure Humane Treatment
Industrial farming is inherently structured in ways that make humane treatment nearly impossible, even with regulations in place. As Pablo Rosado from Our World in Data explains:
These [common farming practices] are designed for efficiency and profit at the expense of animal welfare [5].
In the UK, about 95% of pigs are raised under Red Tractor standards. These standards allow practices such as indoor farrowing crates and slatted floors, which significantly impact animal welfare. A study conducted between September 2018 and December 2020 by researchers from the University of Cambridge and the University of Oxford found that welfare scores for Red Tractor and non-assured systems were markedly lower compared to organic systems, primarily due to these practices [4].
The situation worsens as consumers shift from red meat to poultry. Producing the same weight of meat from chickens requires slaughtering many more individual animals than cattle. Over the past decade, this shift has led to a 20% increase in the number of animals slaughtered in the UK [5]. This phenomenon, often referred to as the "small body problem", means more animals are suffering to meet consumer demand.
Despite these numbers, there is a clear ethical gap between consumer values and industry practices, often highlighted in a cultivated meat vs traditional meat comparison. Surveys show that 75–90% of people consider many common farming practices "unacceptable", yet they continue purchasing these products because they are affordable and widely available [5]. The current system is designed to keep animal products cheap while hiding the welfare costs from view. This underscores the urgent need for alternatives that can address these systemic issues effectively.
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Cultivated Meat: Real Meat Without Slaughter
Cultivated meat is stepping in as a more humane solution to the ethical concerns surrounding traditional animal farming.
The Production Process
Cultivated meat introduces a completely new way to produce real animal protein. It starts with a small, harmless cell sample taken from a living animal or a fertilised egg, usually through a simple biopsy under local anaesthesia [7]. This tiny sample has incredible potential: cells from just one cow can create a staggering 175 million 113-gram patties [2].
These cells are placed in bioreactors, also known as growth chambers, where they are nourished with a growth medium packed with essential nutrients like proteins, vitamins, and minerals [7]. Within this controlled and sterile environment, the cells grow and develop into actual meat tissue. The entire process takes only a few weeks - far quicker than the time it takes to raise animals for traditional meat production [7].
The progress in this field is evident with regulatory approvals in the US. For example, UPSIDE Foods has received FDA clearance for its cultivated chicken. The company stated:
"UPSIDE's cultivated chicken will be available to consumers following USDA inspection and label approval. Cultivated meat has never been closer to the US market than it is today!" [7].
This streamlined production process not only enhances efficiency but also brings significant improvements in animal welfare.
Animal Welfare Benefits
Cultivated meat is a game-changer for animal welfare, as it eliminates the need for confinement and slaughter. Since the meat is grown directly from cells in a controlled setting, there’s no need for practices like animal transport or slaughter [7].
Brian Spears, founder of New Age Meats, sums it up perfectly:
"People want meat. They don't want slaughter." [2].
Additionally, this method avoids the use of antibiotics and reduces the risk of bacterial contamination [7]. It also delivers the same nutritional benefits as traditional lean red meat, including protein, vitamin B12, zinc, iron, and unsaturated fats [6].
Cultivated meat offers a way to enjoy the taste and nutrition of real meat while addressing ethical concerns and improving food safety.
Measuring Cultivated Meat's Impact on Animal Welfare
Projected Reduction in Animal Slaughter
The statistics paint a striking picture. In the United States alone, about 10 billion land animals are slaughtered for food each year [9]. Cultivated meat presents a way to significantly reduce this number. Unlike traditional farming, which involves raising and slaughtering entire animals, cellular agriculture can produce large amounts of meat from just a single cell sample. By 2040, it's expected that cultivated meat could make up 35% of global meat consumption [2].
This potential to drastically cut down on animal slaughter is being supported by advancements that are moving cultivated meat from research labs to large-scale production facilities.
Production Advances and Scale
The industry is rapidly evolving from experimental stages to full-scale manufacturing. For example, in October 2025, Believer Meats secured full USDA approval for its massive 18,600 m² facility in North Carolina. This £98 million plant is set to produce 10,000 tonnes of cultivated meat annually, with large-scale market supply beginning in 2026 [12].
In Europe, progress is equally impressive. In Spain, BioTech Foods invested €36 million in June 2023 to construct a facility capable of producing 4,000 tonnes of cultivated meat per year [8]. Similarly, Bene Meat Technologies in the Czech Republic is preparing to produce between 400 and 600 kilograms daily, with operations expected to start by late 2025 [10].
One of the major breakthroughs enabling this scale-up is the development of serum-free media. Companies like Meatable and Eat Just are creating animal-free alternatives to fetal bovine serum, ensuring the production process is entirely slaughter-free [2][9]. Costs are also becoming more competitive. A 2024 study published in Nature Food Journal estimates that cultivated chicken could reach a price of around £10.93 per kilogram at full production scale, making it comparable to traditional organic chicken [2]. Additionally, The Good Food Institute predicts the industry could produce approximately 125,000 tonnes of cultivated meat by the end of 2026 [11].
As production scales up, the impact on animal welfare grows stronger, reinforcing the ethical promise of cultivated meat. This shift not only reduces reliance on traditional farming but also highlights the progress being made toward a more humane food system.
The Cultivarian Society's Work for Compassionate Food Systems
Public Education and Awareness
The Cultivarian Society is driving a dietary movement that offers a practical alternative to conventional meat, one that aligns with animal welfare principles while preserving the taste of traditional meat.
"We're not vegan. We're not vegetarian. We're Cultivarian - a new dietary movement embracing meat grown without slaughter." [13]
The society works to reshape public attitudes by providing straightforward and accessible information about cultivated meat - how it is produced and how it can address the intergenerational ethics of meat production. With an estimated 92 billion land animals slaughtered each year for food [13], shifting consumer behaviour could make a significant difference. By sharing updates, expert opinions, and commentary on ethical food innovations, the society aims to position cultivated meat as the go-to option for those who care about animal welfare. This increased awareness also supports the organisation’s larger policy efforts.
Policy Work and Partnerships
In addition to educating the public, The Cultivarian Society is heavily involved in shaping policies that support ethical food systems. One of its standout initiatives is the creation of a Checklist for Cultivated Meat in Food Security Policies, which provides actionable steps for incorporating cellular agriculture into national food strategies [13].
The society collaborates with researchers, startups, and community organisations, working alongside 259 cultivated meat companies worldwide to speed up market availability and consumer access [13]. By combining education with advocacy, The Cultivarian Society is making meaningful strides toward building a more compassionate food system.
Conclusion
Cultivated meat represents a forward-thinking alternative to traditional animal farming, offering a way to produce real meat without the need for slaughter. By growing meat from animal cells in controlled environments, it directly addresses the ethical concerns tied to conventional methods, particularly the suffering endured by animals in the process[14]. This approach reshapes the way we think about meat production, breaking its reliance on animal slaughter and introducing a new ethical standard to our food systems.
In June 2023, the journey of cultivated meat took a major step forward. Regulatory approvals for companies like Upside Foods and Good Meat turned the concept into a commercial reality. Dr Uma Valeti, Founder and CEO of Upside Foods, captured the significance of this moment, calling it:
a watershed moment, never happened before in the history of humanity[1].
Despite this progress, challenges remain. Upside Foods, for example, produces around 50,000 pounds (22,680 kg) of cultivated meat annually, a figure that pales in comparison to the 50 billion pounds of conventional chicken consumed in the United States alone[1]. However, as production scales up and costs decrease, cultivated meat offers a realistic route to reducing reliance on industrial farming while preserving the culinary experiences people cherish.
These challenges also highlight the potential for a transformed food system. As Josh Tetrick, Co-founder and CEO of Eat Just, explained:
We can produce meat using far less land and water, eliminating the need to rear and slaughter animals[1].
Organisations like The Cultivarian Society and advancements in technology are driving this shift, pushing us closer to a future where real meat can be produced without causing harm to animals. This vision stands to benefit not just animals, but also consumers and the environment, creating a win-win scenario for everyone involved.
FAQs
Is cultivated meat real meat?
Yes, cultivated meat is indeed real meat. It's created by growing animal cells in a carefully controlled setting, resulting in tissue that is biologically the same as conventional meat. This method delivers the same flavour and texture as traditional meat, but without requiring the slaughter of animals.
Does cultivated meat use fetal bovine serum?
Cultivated meat no longer relies on fetal bovine serum. Thanks to recent advancements, it now uses animal-free growth media. This shift tackles ethical concerns tied to traditional cell culture methods and aligns with the aim of producing meat without causing harm to animals.
When will cultivated meat be available in the UK?
Cultivated meat could hit UK shelves within the next two years. This projection hinges on the Food Standards Agency completing a thorough safety evaluation of lab-grown foods. It's all part of the government's push to support advancements in food innovation.
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