Precision fermentation uses microorganisms to produce animal proteins without animals, offering potential to dramatically reduce farmed animal numbers.
Precision fermentation represents one of the most promising technological pathways to dramatically reduce the number of animals suffering in food production. By producing animal proteins through fermentation without requiring animals, it eliminates the welfare harms associated with conventional dairy, egg, and meat production for covered products. The technology is advancing rapidly and reaching commercial viability. From a pure animal welfare perspective, scale-up of precision fermentation that reduces farmed animal numbers is highly positive. The main welfare-relevant concern is ensuring the technology actually displaces rather than supplements conventional animal product consumption.