South Dakota has a new law prohibiting the use of public taxes to investigate or purchase cultivated meat.
Rep. Jana Hunt, R-Dupree, introduced Bill HB 1118 at the South Dakota House Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources. The law was signed by Governor Larry Roden and came into effect on July 1st.
“We appreciate the unanimous support from our colleagues in both the House and Senate. As elected officials, it is our duty to serve the people of South Dakota and ensure that we have responsible stewardship in our hard-earned taxes,” Hunt said.
Hunt also praised the lobbying group, a beef initiative, a non-governmental organization dedicated to food security through local access to provide testimony during the legislative process.
South Dakota is one of the states where Congress is making an effort to put limits on meat grown to protect the farming interests of its own animals. Other states that would do so include Florida, Alabama and Nebraska.
In Nebraska, the bill defines “cultivated food proteins” and requires that those products be labeled “bad foods” under the state’s pure food laws. The purpose of the bill is to ensure that cultivated meat is not produced, distributed or sold in the state. This law was introduced by n-niobrara Sen. Barry Dekei.
In Alabama, bills have been signed into law to ban the production and sale of cultivated meat. Alabama is the second state with such laws.
Alabama law makes it “illegal to anyone” in Alabama to “sell, hold, sell, or manufacture distribution of cultivated food.” According to the bill’s text, “cultivated food” is defined as food produced from cultured animal cells.
In May 2024, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning the creation and sale of Cultivated meat In the state. That was the first such state.
The new law says it is “illegal to those who manufacture, sell, sell, own or provide meat grown in this state.”
Florida law criminalizes activities that contain cultured meat, and people found themselves violating it guilty of two misdemeanors.
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