According to new research from the Royal Agricultural University (RAU), British farmers are open to collaborating with “lab-grown” meat producers in the coming years. Here’s why.

UK farmers curious about the potential of lab-grown meat

Lab-grown meat - also known as cultured, cultivated, or synthetic meat - is a form of cellular agriculture where real muscle tissue is produced by growing animal cells in a laboratory. As the climate crisis threatens humanity’s increasingly unstable food system, some people believe that protein alternatives such as lab-grown meat could be part of the solution.

The topic remains contentious, and Italy has banned the development of lab-grown meat products, saying that they represent a “social and economic risk.” The US state of Florida banned production in May 2024, and Romania and Hungary have also proposed bans.

However, according to RAU researchers, British farmers are more receptive to the new technology than some of their global counterparts. Over 80 farmers spoke to RAU for the new study and mostly said that they did not view alternative proteins as a major threat.

The study’s lead author, RAU professor Tom MacMillan, told the BBC that while there was “concern” over how the technology could impact farmers, there was also a “lot of curiosity” about whether lab-grown meat and traditional farming could unite for the common good.

“Farmers were really engaged in the practical possibilities, supplying ingredients to the technology, maybe even hosting production units on their farms,” he added.

Farming by-products could make cultured proteins more sustainable

One of the main obstacles to cultivated meat is cost, both to produce and to purchase. Streamlining production will enable large-scale manufacturing and more consumer-friendly prices. One way to achieve this could be by using by-products from farming.


Rapeseed oil leftovers are rich in amino acids, which are some of the most expensive and least sustainable ingredients required for cultivated meat production. According to the new RAU report, using these by-products in place of synthetic amino acids could significantly streamline the manufacturing process, reducing energy, water, and land use.

The report also found that linking cultured meat production with farming could benefit farmers themselves, mediating some of the issues they face in the current system and addressing concerns over the potential threat alternative proteins represent.

“Building bridges with farmers is certainly in the cultured meat companies’ interests, as some are starting to see,” said MacMillan. “More surprisingly, we found that keeping the door open may serve farmers better too.”

In addition to cultured animal-derived products, plant-based meat also represents a potential route to link modern alternative proteins with the traditional farming sector. Many UK farmers are already supplying plant-based brands with the vegetables and grains they require, which provides agricultural workers with a steady revenue stream and producers with a regular source of locally-produced ingredients for alternative proteins.

Breaking down the ‘beef’

In November 2024, researchers from the University of Bristol (UoB) also carried out a study on British animal farmers’ attitudes towards plant-based diets and vegans, in particular. The research found that farmers’ attitudes are complex, including both positives and negatives.

While some criticized vegans for failing to take into account the problematic nature of other forms of farming, globalization, and growing import culture, others praised the culture for prompting conversations about animal welfare and the need to reduce meat consumption.

The two groups are often depicted by the media as polarised, but research indicates many shared goals and other connections between the UK’s farming communities and vegans. As with other hot topics in the so-called “culture wars,” many apparent divisions are exaggerated or possibly fabricated entirely, with misinformation obstructing constructive dialogue.

Meanwhile, new organizations like Vegans Support the Farmers (VSF) have launched in solidarity with the agricultural community and to advocate for fair prices and local, sustainable food production. VSF is also actively fundraising to support the mental health of farmers, where mental health problems are common and suicide rates are notably high.

“We realized that farmers and vegans have many more things in common than divide us – a need for a sustainable future for the next generation,” VSF co-founder Kerri Waters told Plant Based News in 2023. “As vegans, we oppose injustice against all living beings, including farmers, because it is the right thing to do … It is time the movement matured to a level where we can have honest and humble conversations with farmers.”

Crossing the divide

A 2023 report by UK-based think tank Green Alliance titled Crossing the Divide also highlighted the need for so-called “incompatible” worldviews and demographics - such as vegans and animal farmers - to find further alignment and “break the deadlock.”

The report breaks differing opinions on the land down into four distinct “worldviews,” including Traditionalists, who see food producers as “guardians of the countryside;” Technovegans, who promote technology as an efficient and effective alternative to traditional farming; Agroecologists, who believe in a system-wide transition to sustainable and accessible food production; and Sustainable Intensifiers, who assume an unavoidable increase in demand for animal products and promote technological farming innovation.

In particular, Green Alliance suggests an alliance between Technovegans and Agroecologists as the best path forward for European countries, as it could lead to “positive environmental outcomes” while retaining strong support for established rural livelihoods.

As noted in the research by UoB and RAU, many people are already open to and seeking this kind of collaboration, which will be essential in fortifying the food system and fighting the climate crisis without alienating the UK’s rural population of over 10 million people.

Separate groups representing a unified, pro-sustainability front could then encourage more effective interventions by the state and corporate bodies. As noted by the Green Alliance, “Policy makers, confused over the best course of action for agriculture, intervene haphazardly, or not at all. As a result, progress is slow or non-existent, and the climate and biodiversity impacts of the current food system remain unaddressed.”

Food reform that centers growers

The RAU report, UoB study, and Green Alliance’s report all highlight the rapidly evolving landscape of agriculture. The Green Alliance depicts how the current food system is unsustainable, but that connection and collaboration will be required if it is to be salvaged. 

Meanwhile, both the RAU and UoB studies indicate that British farmers could be receptive to transformative changes in the food system, provided there is still a place for them within it. Overall, fostering further dialogue between these groups and countering divisive misinformation could help pave the way for a sustainable and equitable food system.

Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a growing body of research - including the two-part independent review The National Food Strategy - indicates that farmers will need to be at the very heart of any meaningful food system transformation.

Urgent and far-reaching change is essential, but agricultural workers themselves are indispensable. The food system will continue to require farmers, and as a result, they should be at the forefront of all new developments. The government should also empower farmers to make positive environmental efforts, via legislation and subsidy reform.