The Netherlands launches EU's first pilot plant for production of meat outside the body

16:42 - 24.11.2025

November 24, Fineko/abc.az. The EU's first meat production plant from cells grown outside the body was installed in the Dutch Midden-Delfland. Startup RespectFarms and dairy farmer Cornet van Leeuwen are launching a pilot production of meat from cages. They hope to demonstrate a new direction in food production.

ABC.AZ reports that the project is supported by the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-Agri).

As a result of the tests, they hope to obtain a workable model for the production of artificial meat.

"We are developing a model in which animal breeders remain central figures in food production and are not displaced by factories," said Ira van Helen, co-founder of RespectFarms and Cellular Agriculture Netherlands.

Currently, cultured meat in the EU is not allowed for human consumption. Only tastings for scientific purposes are allowed. Meat from grown cells is approved for consumption in Israel, Singapore and the USA.