Illinois House Representative Chris Miller has introduced HB 5872, a bill to make the sale, manufacture or distribution of cultivated meat a Class C misdemeanour.

Miller, who is a third-generation cattle farmer, said the legislation would protect individual’s health, farmland and agricultural products and that it is in response to “growing concerns from the notion of replacing real meat with laboratories to replicate a natural process.”

“Agriculture is big business in Illinois, and we don’t need fake meat laboratories creating a highly expensive product that tries to replicate real meat,” Governor Miller said. “Illinois farmers know what they’re doing, and it they do it well.”

Miller continued: “The ideology behind cultivating animal cells to improve carbon emissions is mind-blowing. Here in Illinois, farmers work hard to raise cattle and produce some of the finest meat on the market. My legislation would protect farmers and the high-quality products they help produce to feed families across the nation.”

Miller’s bill, which hasn’t been referred to any of the committees yet, calls cultivated meat “a threat to the health, safety and welfare” of Illinois residents.

This development could deal a significant blow to Illinois' burgeoning biotech industry. In July, the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub received approximately $51 million from the Tech Hubs Program, managed by the state’s Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA). The grant was intended to enhance Illinois' leadership in biomanufacturing and precision fermentation, with goals of supporting national security, economic growth and job creation.

Additionally, in March, a government investment strategy injected $680 million into strengthening Illinois' biotech sector, focusing on biomanufacturing and precision fermentation.

Illinois' proposed ban follows similar moves in other states. Florida’s ban on cultivated meat took effect on 1 July, while Alabama's is set to begin on 1 October. Other states, including Iowa, Ohio, and Nebraska, have also imposed restrictions. Most recently, on 29 August, Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen signed an executive order prohibiting state agencies from procuring cultivated or alternative meat products.

Sheila Voss, GFI’s senior vice president of communications and Illinois resident, said: “Illinois has long been a global leader in agriculture and biotechnology. Our state’s farming families, like mine in southern Illinois, are on the frontlines of production, season after season, harvest after harvest, helping feed the world. But to meet growing global demand for meat with business-as-usual production methods, Illinois and other states are running out of room to sustainably grow what’s needed."

Voss continued: "That’s why it’s exciting to see Illinois and other Midwest states working to diversify protein production with investments in alternative protein R&D, bio-manufacturing hubs and public-private research and innovation partnerships between the likes of ADM and University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign."

It is worth noting that the push to ban cultivated meat has often come from politicians with strong ties to traditional agriculture. Critics argue that these efforts are less about genuine concerns for public health or environmental safety and more about protecting established agricultural interests from emerging competition.

Contrary to claims that cultivated meat poses health risks or environmental harm, it has been approved as safe for consumption by regulatory bodies in multiple countries, including the United States Food and Drug Administration. Additionally, cultivated meat is touted by many scientists and environmentalists as a more sustainable alternative to conventional meat production, with the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, land use and water consumption.

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