Ethical Meat Production: Research Proposal on Biofabrication

This research proposal explores the ethical dimensions of modern meat production and investigates the potential of meat biofabrication as a more sustainable and humane alternative to traditional factory farming. The proposal begins by outlining the contrasting perspectives on animal husbandry, highlighting the ethical concerns associated with intensive farming practices, including animal cruelty, disease susceptibility, and environmental impact. It then proposes meat biofabrication, an innovative approach involving in-vitro tissue culturing and bioengineering, as a solution to these challenges. The proposal emphasizes the benefits of this technology, including the elimination of animal cruelty, reduced environmental impact, and enhanced nutritional value. The research aims to analyze the viability and implications of biofabrication within the context of ecologically oriented agricultural systems, ultimately paving the way for ethical, safe, and nutritious meat consumption. The proposal includes a literature review of relevant research, and provides a strong thesis statement on the importance of ethically raised animals and the role of innovative technologies like meat biofabrication in the evolution of sustainable food systems.

Running head: RESEARCH PROPOSAL
RESEARCH PROPOSAL
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1RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Thesis Statement
Considering the recent trends in the development of innovative production technologies
such as meat biofabrication, ethically raised animals are an essential component of ecologically
oriented agricultural system and hence, will pave the way for ethical, safe and nutritious
‘meatification’ of diets.
Summary of Contrasting Perspectives
Animal husbandry and poultry rearing practices have continues since traditional times to
satiate people’s varied tastes and desire to consume meat. However, considering emerging
population trends and the increased nutrition and dietary needs of the world, food manufacturing
firms, as noted by Anomaly (2015), reverted to factory farming techniques to provide maximum
meat and meat products at significantly lower costs. As noted in the criticism by Anomaly
(2015), food farming comprises of rearing livestock in environments which are dense, heavily
populated, unhygienic and unethical for animals as noted in congested caging of hens,
overcrowding pigs with little room for movement and treating cows in artificial feedlots and not
in natural, green pastures. Hence, such ‘meatification’ of diets not only raise ethical concerns of
promoting animal cruelty and violating animal rights, but also increase susceptibilities of disease
acquisition such as influenza, and antibiotic resistance. However, as a counter strategy, as noted
by Kumar, Bhat and Kumar (2017), ethically raising animals by using innovative strategies such
as meat fabrication prove to be a beneficial component in the development of agricultural
techniques which are ecologically oriented. Meat biofabrication involves the development of
animal-free ‘meat’ via using in-vitro tissue culturing technologies and bioengineering strategies.

2RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Hence, such a technique, helps in development of ethical meat production free from animal
cruelty and killing, as well as preventing the environmental, disease and nutritional shortcomings
associated with traditional meat production.

3RESEARCH PROPOSAL
References
Anomaly, J. (2015). What’s wrong with factory farming?. Public Health Ethics, 8(3), 246-254.
Arshad, M. S., Javed, M., Sohaib, M., Saeed, F., Imran, A., & Amjad, Z. (2017). Tissue
engineering approaches to develop cultured meat from cells: a mini review. Cogent Food
& Agriculture, 3(1), 1320814.
Bhat, Z. F., Kumar, S., & Bhat, H. F. (2017). In vitro meat: A future animal-free harvest. Critical
reviews in food science and nutrition, 57(4), 782-789.
Bhat, Z. F., Kumar, S., & Fayaz, H. (2015). In vitro meat production: Challenges and benefits
over conventional meat production. Journal of Integrative Agriculture, 14(2), 241-248.
Boyd, W. (2001). Making meat: Science, technology, and American poultry
production. Technology and Culture, 42(4), 631-664.
Cairns, K., & Johnston, J. (2018). On knowing where your food comes from: meat, mothering
and ethical eating.
Hocquette, J. F., Ellies-Oury, M. P., Lherm, M., Pineau, C., Deblitz, C., & Farmer, L. (2018).
Current situation and future prospects for beef production in Europe—A review. Asian-
Australasian journal of animal sciences, 31(7), 1017.
Lund, T. B., McKeegan, D. E., Cribbin, C., & Sandøe, P. (2016). Animal ethics profiling of
vegetarians, vegans and meat-eaters. Anthrozoös, 29(1), 89-106.
Milburn, J. (2016). Chewing over in vitro meat: animal ethics, cannibalism and social
progress. Res Publica, 22(3), 249-265.