A legislative effort to ban lab-grown meat in South Dakota failed at the capitol in Pierre, after the success of earlier bills to require labeling and prohibit state spending in support of the product.
The ban’s initial failure was on a 17-17 vote in the Senate, with one member absent. That was Sen. Kevin Jensen (R-Canton), who had voted for the bill when it advanced out of the Senate Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.
A supporter of the legislation, Sen. Mykala Voita (R-Bonesteel) made a motion to reconsider it.
“As we had one member of the body absent yesterday, I believe that we should reconsider this vote, and I’d appreciate your support,” Voita said.
Two senators who voted for the bill previously—Sens. Ernie Otten (R-Tea) and Amber Hulse (R-Hot Springs)—voted against the reconsideration motion, which rendered Jensen’s support moot. The 19-16 vote against reconsideration dealt the bill its final defeat.
Hulse told South Dakota Searchlight afterward that she’d heard enough senators planned to change their vote that the bill was doomed, so she didn’t think it was worth debating again. In other words, she said, even if the reconsideration motion had been approved, a later vote on the bill itself might have failed.
Coming from a district with many ranchers, Hulse said her initial vote for the legislation was a vote for some of those constituents. But she doubted whether the bill would stand up to constitutional challenges regarding the freedom of interstate commerce.
“I think the constitutionality of the bill, if I’m being quite honest, is questionable,” Hulse said.
Otten did not immediately return a message from South Dakota Searchlight.
Barring further procedural maneuvering—such as amending the ban into another piece of legislation—the push to prevent the manufacture, sale and distribution of lab-grown meat in South Dakota is likely over for this legislative session.
Meanwhile, Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden has already signed a bill that will require lab-grown meat products to be labeled. Another bill that would prohibit state government spending in support of research, production, promotion, sale or distribution of lab-grown meat has passed both chambers and is awaiting Rhoden’s consideration. That bill includes an exception for public universities but would prevent scenarios such as the state awarding economic development grants to lab-grown meat companies.
Republican Rep. John Sjaarda, a Valley Springs farmer, proposed the ban and that he was disappointed. He said the labeling bill, which applies to carcasses, parts of carcasses and meat food products, may work in stores but will not effectively alert restaurant diners who might not know when their dish is prepared with lab-grown meat.
“It does help,” Sjaarda said. “I don’t knock it. It’s better than nothing.”
The proposed ban divided agricultural groups, with some alleging that lab-grown meat has not been proven safe and that a ban would protect consumers and the state’s livestock industry.
Others said the product has been cleared by federal safety regulators and should be available in the marketplace. They also said supporting a ban is a hypocritical stance for farmers and ranchers who’ve opposed restrictions imposed by other states and countries on livestock production practices and genetically modified crops.
Lab-grown meat, also called cell-cultured or cultivated meat, starts from a sample of animal cells that are fed the sugars, water, proteins and vitamins needed to grow into muscle and fat. Although the product is approved for sale, it’s not yet widely available.
Some other states, including Florida and Alabama, have banned lab-grown meat, and the Florida ban has sparked litigation from the industry. — Seth Tupper, South Dakota Searchlight
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