Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of enabling a cultivated meat sector in the UK on the environment and on achieving net zero ambitions.

The Government has made no formal assessment of the role cultivated meats might play in reducing intensive farming levels or supporting animal welfare objectives

The cultivated meat sector probably presents great potential though we will only be able to fully understand the likely impact on greenhouse gas emissions when the specifics of the industry are more clearly identified and the evidence base is better established.

Defra officials and others from across Whitehall will continue to work together to assess the analysis of the cultivated meat sector as the industry develops, to understand the potential of this novel technology.

The recently published Government Food Strategy identifies new opportunities to make the food system healthier, more sustainable, more resilient, and more accessible for everyone across England. It sets out how we will deliver a sustainable, nature-positive food system that provides choice and access to high quality products supporting healthier and home-grown diets for all.

The Government is also making significant investments to unlock innovation and translate our world leading research into practical, farmer-led solutions that improve productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience, and which move towards net zero emission farming systems.