Tuesday, 2 May 2023

Magic Valley

Georgie PURCELL (Northern Victoria) (17:28): (156) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Industry and Innovation, and the action I seek is for him to attend Australia’s first cultivated meat lab, right here in Victoria. Magic Valley are a Victorian-based company that have developed lamb and pork products without killing or harming animals. Instead, a non-invasive sample, usually an ear swab, is taken from one animal, one time, in order to collect starter cells. The animal, in the first case with Magic Valley, was a lamb called Lucy, who instead of enduring a lifetime of suffering is now free to live out her life in peace. The cells obtained from Lucy were expanded and turned into stem cells, then inserted into a nutrient-rich culture medium where they literally grew into muscle and fat. The meat harvested from Lucy’s single sample can now be generated over and over again without further involvement from her or other animals.

If it does not sound like the real thing, let me explain to you the ways in which it is different. Unlike traditional meat products, cultivated meat requires no slaughter. It does not contain added growth hormones or antibiotics, reducing the risk of antimicrobial resistance. In a world where up to 75 per cent of antibiotics produced are for animal agriculture, this is very important. Cultivated meat has far less greenhouse gas emissions, and there is no continuous increase in land use. Producers of lab-grown meat are using less water and less energy with virtually zero waste to create consistent and sustainable access to protein globally. Since it is grown in a lab, cultivated meat can be tailored for specific nutritional outcomes and could help eliminate the myriad health risks associated with traditional meat products, such as cardiovascular disease and cancers.

Last month I was lucky enough to be invited to one of the first-ever tastings of lab-grown pork in Australia. Despite supporting it wholeheartedly, like many long-term vegans I did not think it was something I would ever actually try myself. But the reality is there are people out there who will never give up eating meat. Now that I have tried it, I am convinced they do not have to give it up. The launch of Magic Valley cultivated pork was the first time I had eaten meat in many, many years, and it was just as I remember it. This incredible development is a game changer, and I hope the minister will commit to visiting Magic Valley and learning about these exciting opportunities that support environmentally friendly innovation right here in Victoria. If it means cruelty is off the table, then why would you eat anything else?