MIchigan State Rep. Jim DeSana has introduced legislation to ban lab-grown meat from being sold in Michigan.
He also introduced a resolution to enshrine the right to hunt in Michigan’s constitution.
“This is about protecting our ranchers and about protecting the integrity of our food supply,” said DeSana, R-Carleton. “This is also about protecting your right to provide food for yourself and your family.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture green-lit the sale of cell-cultivated meat last year. In May 2024, under Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Florida became the first state in the nation to ban lab-grown meat.
“Florida is fighting back against the global elite’s plan to force the world to eat meat grown in a petri dish or bugs to achieve their authoritarian goals,” DeSantis said. The World Economic Forum has advocated eating insects as a solution to global warming.
DeSana’s legislation defines cultivated meat as a meat or meat product that was produced from cultured animal tissue produced from in vitro animal cell cultures outside of the animal from which the cells were derived.
“Eating real meat is healthy,” DeSana said.
DeSana, who is currently serving his first term as a lawmaker, decided to run for office after his son was prevented from competing on a rowing team during his senior year due to COVID.
“The ‘follow-the-science’ crowd canceled a sport that competes outside in the fresh air, on a river. I’m done with these people,” DeSana said. “I don’t trust them when they say to follow TheScience because they did some of the most anti-scientific things possible, and they still haven’t acknowledged the harm they caused. So no, I don’t want lab-grown meat as a substitute for the real thing and I don’t want to get my protein by eating bugs. Let the chickens eat the bugs the way nature intended; we’ll eat the chickens.”
DeSana’s legislation to ban the sale of lab-grown meat was introduced on June 27, 2024, as House Bill 5879 and then sent to the agriculture committee. DeSana also introduced a resolution the same day to enshrine the right to hunt in Michigan’s constitution.
“During the pandemic, there were meat shortages. Grocery store meat sections were empty,” DeSana said. “I want to make sure the right to hunt is explicitly included in our constitution so that we are always able to feed our families. And we should do this now, because Vice President Harris wants to implement price controls on food, which historically has led to shortages.”
The resolution would give voters the ability to amend the state constitution by adding a section that recognizes a right to hunt, fish, trap and harvest wildlife. It would further stipulate that those rights are only subject to regulations that promote sound wildlife conservation and management. It would not change laws related to trespassing, private property rights or firearm use unrelated to hunting.
If approved by lawmakers, the amendment would go before the public at the next general election, following its passage by the legislature.
House Joint Resolution U of 2024 was referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, Environment, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation.
DeSana has been a farmer for two decades. He is a member of the Michigan Sheep Producers and Michigan Cattleman’s Association. He and his wife operate Shamrock Station, a sheep farm where they raise grass-fed lambs on pasture in northern Monroe County. They also raise cattle, chickens and Pyrenean Mountain Dogs, which they train to protect livestock from predators.
DeSana represents the 29th House District, which spans portions of Monroe County and Wayne County, southwest of Detroit. It includes parts of Monroe, Taylor and Romulus. It also includes the village of Carleton, Ash Township, Huron Township and a portion of French township.
Source: Michigan House Republicans
