The Defense Department has backed off on its proposal to consider lab-grown protein as a food source for troops, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association announced this week.
The DOD itself did not make an announcement, but an official made the statement in a meeting with several U.S. senators, an NCBA spokesman said. In June, NCBA said the DOD had “sponsored” a research grant that will fund the development of lab-grown meat products by manufacturing company BioMADE.
NCBA said it has worked with agriculture allies in Congress to secure the introduction of several amendments to the fiscal year 2025 Defense Appropriations bill, National Defense Authorization Act, and fiscal year 2025 Agriculture Appropriations bill, aimed at preventing lab-grown protein from ever showing up on the plates of American service members.
“NCBA was the first and only cattle group to uncover this stream of DoD funding that could go toward lab-grown protein projects, and we were the first and only group to fight back,” said NCBA President and Wyoming rancher Mark Eisele. “After weeks of engaging with Congress and speaking out against this plan, we are thrilled to have DoD confirmation that lab-grown protein is not on the menu for our nation’s servicemembers. These men and women make the greatest sacrifices every day in service to our country and they deserve high-quality, nutritious, and wholesome food like real beef grown by American farmers and ranchers.”
NCBA said it appreciated the leadership of several Republican lawmakers in standing up for farmers, ranchers, and our military. NCBA also issued a statement drawing attention to these DoD grants, while NCBA members also discussed their concerns with this plan in national media.
“The Department of Defense can and should be on the cutting edge of science, and we respect their work to investigate defense applications for new tools and technology. However, there’s a big difference between industrial or defense applications and the food we put in our bodies. U.S. farmers and ranchers are more than capable of meeting the military’s need for high-quality protein,” said NCBA Senior Director of Government Affairs Sigrid Johannes. “NCBA appreciates the DoD’s responsiveness on this issue, and we thank our allies in Congress, including Senator Fischer, Congressman Davidson, and Congressman Bacon, for quickly acting to ensure that only the most wholesome and unprocessed products end up on the plate for our servicemembers.”