'Great news for cows': Start-up in Israel to produce milk in labs for first time

Remilk's technology described as a genuine milestone by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Cows emit enormous quantities of methane gas, a significant contributor to global warming. AFP

An Israeli foodtech start-up will start producing dairy milk in a laboratory for the first time in Israel and the region.

The Israeli government gave the green light to Remilk on Thursday. A move that the company's chief executive says will "dare to challenge the traditional dairy industry".

Their products give people "access to sustainable, real dairy made without cows and free of lactose, cholesterol, antibiotics and growth hormones", Remilk said in a statement.

A company representative told The National that it is also "great news for cows".

The company uses "precision fermentation" to cultivate milk that it says has the same "taste, functionality [and] nutritional values" as real dairy.

Alternative milks on display in a supermarket in Dubai. Chris Whiteoak / The National

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the news "will lead to the economic strengthening of Israel, food security, better dealing with climate change and the welfare of animals".

Only a few countries use similar technologies to produce dairy milk in labs, including Singapore and the US.

The US Environmental Protection Agency says that 37 per cent of methane emissions from human activity come from livestock and agricultural practices.

Animal welfare organisation Compassion in World Farming says that there are more than 270 million cows producing milk internationally, and that the process raises "an increasing number of welfare problems for dairy cows", often caused by indoor housing, health problems and early separation from calves.

Demand for dairy produce has risen in recent years. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development predicts international per capita consumption to increase by 1 per cent per annum over the next 10 years, largely due to increased demand in India, Pakistan and Africa as incomes and populations grow.

Israel has long sought to position itself as a leader in start-ups and food technology. Israeli news website CTech says the sector recorded total investment of $1.4 billion between 2017 and 2022.