Published 05/08/2013

Today, the world's first test tube burger will be cooked and served to a live audience in London. Costing in the region of €250,000 to produce, it has been grown in a lab from the stem cells of a cow. This new technology could herald a new era of meat production. Synthetic meat could prevent the future suffering of millions of farm animals and stop the pollution factory farming causes. It also has the potential to positively impact on our health; as this meat could be engineered to be leaner which could help to reduce levels of heart disease and obesity.

This is a vital discovery, with the world population predicted to rise to around nine billion by 2050, experts believe that food production must increase dramatically. The developer, Professor Mark Post from the University of Maastricht in Holland, hopes artificial meat could meet the future global demand for meat.

Compassion's CEO Philip Lymbery, says: "This could be a real game-changer; transforming the way meat is produced in ways which potentially come with great environmental, health and animal welfare benefits.

"It could lead to less cruelty, less environmental damage, and a future free from keeping farm animals in horrific conditions."