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Comment by Fragoel2 | Hacker News Reader

As an Italian, I can tell you this is just a move to grab some votes from their supporters. Lab meat is nowhere close to mass production so there is no real impact of this ban right now. When (and if) lab-grown meat becomes commonplace and, hence, cheaper than regular meat then the ban will be reverted as it would have negative implications on the country economy.

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I'm not saying this ban is right or not, but if you're gonna ban something, doesn't it make sense to do it as early as possible, in order to minimize the negative effects from the ban itself?

If alcohol was to be banned today, we'll probably see protests and black markets appearing very quickly. But if alcohol was just invented yesterday and today a ban is implemented, the reaction would be much smaller.

In that view, it makes sense to ban as early as possible, when the ban as the least amount of effect and used as prevention, rather than to hammer down something that is already large.

But again, I think the whole ban is stupid, just trying to understand why it'd be implemented so early.

If the ban itself is stupid, there is no justification or argument for banning it ASAP

Lab grown red meat is actually closer than you think. Factories are being set up around the world. My guess is that in around a year, two years tops, you'd be able to see some general availability.

Yeah and I can get impossible burgers at every store and burger king, but are they competitive with regular meat? I would say no, and the companies are struggling.

I think the majority of people won't buy animal-free meat unless it is both tastier and cheaper than beef. Most people care about animals but not enough to commit to blowing out their budget.

Seems like conjecture on multiple different fronts

Something can be a populist vote-grab and a good idea at the same time.

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