New research has found that livestock farmers in the EU receive around 1,200 times more public funding than plant-based or cultivated meat groups. “Powerful vested interests exerted their political influence to maintain the system unchanged and to obstruct competition created by technological innovations,” the researchers state.
Some 97% of spending on research and innovation goes to livestock farmers, with virtually all this money being used to improve production or increase output. National dietary guidelines have also been “shaped with a strong influence from industry representatives”, they add.