Chicken raised ... in a lab? Physicians group builds buzz for it with Salisbury billboards

Citing the environmental impact of the poultry industry on runoff pollution into the Chesapeake Bay and its waterways, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is behind new efforts to promote cell-cultivated chicken — and a new Salisbury billboard campaign planned for this week.

Just what in the world is cell-cultivated chicken?

Cell-cultivated chicken is lab-grown meat made by feeding a mix of nutrients to animal cells in stainless steel tanks, whereby companies aim to develop an alternative to the large carbon and pollution impacts of raising and killing live animals. The Physicians Committee trying to bolster support for the process has even filed a complaint with the Maryland Secretary of the Environment demanding Perdue invest 50% of research and development into cell-cultivated meat.

Locally, they announced Monday a plan to erect billboards the week of Dec. 18 that will remain posted until Jan. 14, 2024, on Route 13's east side, north of E. Main Street, and on Route 13's west side, south of Newton Street. They are slated to say "Salisbury: Want a Solution To Poultry Pollution? Start The Transition To Cell-Cultivated Chicken.” The billboards will show a striking image of a girl embracing a white hen.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit public health group, has about 17,000 doctor members nationally, including 746 physicians in Maryland.

The complaint, sent to Serena Coleman McIlwain, Secretary of the state Department of the Environment, contends large-scale poultry operations produce huge amounts of waste and contribute to waterways overloaded with phosphorous and other pollutants, causing significant damage to the Bay.

They cited a study in "Science of The Total Environment," arguing the Eastern Shore poultry industry is a major contributor to overall nitrogen loads entering the Bay. By contrast, cell-cultivated chicken meat is grown without producing chicken manure.

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Delmarva Chicken Assocation issues firm response

"Farmers, chicken growers and chicken companies in Maryland have increased chicken production over the past 35 years, meeting strong consumer demand for nutritious, delicious chicken, while at the same time substantially reducing their nitrogen and phosphorus contributions to the Chesapeake Bay to improve water quality. Activist proposals denying that reality aren’t going to help feed people, further protect the Bay or preserve jobs, including those of Delmarva’s 1,330 family farmers raising chickens or the 18,300 chicken company employees here," said James Fisher, spokesperson for the Delmarva Chicken Association in response to the complaint.

Perdue was contacted but declined to comment on the complaint, deferring to the statement by the Delmarva Chicken Association. Locally, Salisbury Mayor Randy Taylor also declined to comment on the resolution and upcoming billboards, saying only he needed to research it further for himself.

'The poultry industry will change as technology changes'

The complaint letter to the state environmental department was signed by Dr. Roxanne Becker, a member of the organization, Asha Subramanian, a Maryland Physicians Committee member from Kensington, Md., and Kristen Gialo, a Physicians Committee member from Easton.

"We write on behalf of the public health nonprofit the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine ... to ask that you act quickly to assist Eastern Shore poultry producers to reduce the amount of conventionally raised chickens and transition to cell-cultivated meat production in order to reduce pollution to the Chesapeake Bay and boost Maryland’s economy," said the letter.

The group cited that the Unites States Department of Agriculture had already given domestic companies Good Meat and Upside Foods approval to move forward with research into cell-cultivated meat in June.

"As you know, Maryland is a top producer of chickens, with many farms on the Eastern Shore. Like many industries, the poultry industry will change as the technology changes. Present day chicken farming practices — a large number of birds in windowless sheds — evolved from small-scale barnyard chicken flocks. The industry is now evolving again with the advent of slaughter-free chicken meat grown in bioreactors," the letter noted.

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The organization further contended if the industry shifts toward cell-cultivated meat, the Bay will be cleaner and have fewer contaminants entering the food supply.

"Given the environmental benefits and economic opportunities of supporting poultry producers in their transition to cell-cultivated meat or crops, will you act today and urge Perdue and other poultry producers to start their transition to cell-cultivated meat?" the letter concluded.

A city resolution on cell-cultivated chicken?

While most resolutions are drafted by city legal counsel and later approved or rejected by the Salisbury City Council, the Physicians Committee sent language for a resolution to Mayor Randy Taylor urging his support for the new source of chicken.

"Cell-cultivated chicken has been approved by federal agencies, people can order it in restaurants. It is genuine chicken meat that is grown in bioreactors, and tastes like conventionally raised chicken meat, Upside Foods will soon open a new $140 million cultivated meat manufacturing facility near Chicago, which Illinois Gov. Pritzker is welcoming enthusiastically. The future of chicken production is, at least in part, in cell-cultivated meat and Salisbury’s economy is inextricably linked to the poultry industry," the resolution states.

They also noted the American Medical Association passed a resolution stating that large-scale livestock operations "may be a public health hazard," and called for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to tighten restrictions on pollution from these operations.

While the city confirmed it was in receipt of the resolution text, it did not state if it was currently being considered or reviewed in any way.

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This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: What is cell-cultivated chicken and why is it on Salisbury billboards?