In my novel (I'm no longer calling it a story, as it's reached 260 pages), almost all meat-based food is derived from farmed meat. I would agree with anyone who thinks that it's the best idea we've had in a long, long time. It not only drastically reduces the costs and environmental impact of the production of meat-based foods, it's far far more humane in every way.

Now, I'm not normally the kind of guy who would lay off eating some food because it involves the 'mistreatment' of animals. Firstly because I have good reason to believe that these animal abuses are exaggerated in the extreme by so called 'animal rights activists', but also because when it comes down to it: It's animals, not humans being mistreated. My loyalty lies first and foremost with my own species, and if braining a cow with a sledgehammer helps improve the quality of life for some member of my species, well... I've got a nice 20 pounder you can borrow. Sure, I feel bad for the poor cow, but at the end of the day, it's just a cow.

But given a choice between a practice which exploits an animal and one which doesn't, I'd choose the latter, even if it came at a slight cost (I won't eat most types of veal, for instance, because there's absolutely no need to treat the calves the way they're treated, but I will eat bob veal, because the calf is slaughtered soon after birth and without undue suffering). The best thing about this is that it comes at a far, far lower cost.

It's just an incredibly good idea. And hopefully, a deliciously good one, too.