The Ethics of In-Vitro Flesh and Enhanced Animals

When will this conference take place?

18-19 September 2014

Where will the conference be held?

Rothbury, Northumberland, England

The conference will take place at the Rothbury Golf Club, starting at 9.00 hrs on Thursday and finishing at 17.00 hrs on Friday. For details, see http://www.rothburygolfclub.com/

Who is organising this conference?

The academic organiser is Jan Deckers (Senior Lecturer in Health Care Ethics, School of Medical Education, Newcastle University), who will be helped in the practical organisation by Jacqueline McAloon (Ethics secretary, School of Medical Education, Newcastle University). The School’s Learning Technologies for Medical Sciences team is responsible for the audio-visual recordings of the event, which will be made publicly available after the event, in a similar fashion to a similar conference on animal ethics, held at Newcastle University in 2011 (see http://backdoorbroadcasting.net/).

How do I register?

Registration is made by paying the fee of £ 30, using the following link: http://webstore.ncl.ac.uk/browse/extra_info.asp?compid=1&modid=2&catid=36&prodid=301

Registration includes the conference dinner on Thursday night, as well as lunches and refreshments on Thursday and Friday. Lunches will comprise a main course, with an option to purchase dessert. For any specific dietary or access requirements, please email [email protected]. Please note that, for administrative reasons, it is not possible to register for part of the conference. Please also email Jacqueline to inform her whether you would be interested in participating in an informal, pre-conference meeting for drinks and/or dinner on Wednesday evening.

What is this conference about?

The consumption of animal products has received increasing bioethical scrutiny for a number of reasons. These include rising levels of obesity, environmental degradation, climate change, zoonotic disease, and moral concerns with the treatment of animals.

A novel technology that is being developed, partly to address some of these concerns, is the production of ‘in vitro flesh’ or ‘cultured flesh’, which relies on the isolation of animals’ stem cells and their stimulation into growth in laboratories. This project has already led to the creation of the world’s first in vitro burger, eaten in London on 5 August 2013.

Other methods to reduce some of these concerns rely on the modification of farmed animals, either by means of conventional or new (genetic) breeding technologies. For example, some animals have been created with reduced capacities to experience pain, including blind chickens, and various novel technologies are being used to create animals with particular benefits, for example reduced levels of saturated fats, that could be beneficial for the human beings who consume them.

What the creation of animals with reduced sentience and the production of lab-grown flesh have in common is that they may reduce a range of animal welfare concerns associated with the consumption of animal products. However, not all moral concerns may be resolved with these developments. This conference will bring together a number of scholars working on the ethical and legal dimensions of these new developments.

What are the key questions?

1. What are the ethical issues associated with the creation of ‘cultured flesh’ and flesh from animals with ‘enhanced’ properties, including reduced capacities for sentience and increased nutritional benefits?

2. How do we assess the costs and benefits of these technological developments?

3. Are there any alternatives that could be developed to provide the benefits that may be associated with these biomedical technologies, and if so, might these be preferable?

What is the programme?

The full programme is yet to be finalised and will be announced in due course. Speakers include:

Bernice Bovenkerk, Ethics Institute, Utrecht University.

Amanda Cawston, Faculty of Philosophy and Downing College, University of Cambridge.

Jan Deckers, School of Medical Sciences Education Development, Newcastle University.

Clemens Driessen, Department of Communication, Philosophy and Technology, Wageningen University.

Clare McCausland, Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics, University of Melbourne.

Cor van der Weele, Department of Communication, Philosophy and Technology, Wageningen University.

How do I get there?

Air

The nearest airport is Newcastle International (50 km). Edinburgh Airport is 116 km away. There is a regular metro service from the airport to Newcastle city centre. You could either take the metro to the Regent Centre or to the Haymarket Bus station (the latter takes you to the city centre).

The bus to Rothbury is the 14 service (heading for Thropton) or X14 service (heading for Morpeth). Buses from the Haymarket depart at the following times on Monday to Friday: 8.13; 9.18 (and then hourly until 16.18); 17.23; 18.28 (last bus). Please add 10 mins if you meet the bus at the Regent Centre. Travel times are just over one hour. The bus normally leaves from stand Q at the Haymarket Bus station, but may leave from one of the adjacent stands.

Please note that there are no buses on Sundays. On Saturday, the earliest bus leaves Rothbury at 7.26, to arrive in Newcastle Haymarket station at 8.41, and there are hourly buses from 8.56 to 16.56.

Train

The nearest train stations are Morpeth and Alnmouth. The former has bus connections to Rothbury from Morpeth Bus Station (travel times as above with addition of min. 37 mins from departure times at the Haymarket bus station).

Car

Please note that the main road into Rothbury (B6344) heading north on the A697 is closed.

Alternative routes:

1/ if you come from Scots Gap, head for Rothbury. Upon entering the village do not cross the bridge but continue on the road along the river. Turn right to the Golf Club immediately after seeing the cemetery on your right -as you are starting to drive yourself round the bend going left (nothing sinister intended).

2/ if you come from the A697 heading north, look out for a dead monkey puzzle tree on your right a couple of miles beyond the village of Longframlington. Turn left at the monkey puzzle tree junction, where a signpost reads: National Park, Coquetdale, Rothbury (road number B6341). Upon arrival in Rothbury, turn left at the first junction, cross the bridge and turn right immediately after. Turn right to the Golf Club immediately after seeing the cemetery on your right -as you are starting to drive yourself round the bend going left (again, nothing sinister intended).

3/ if you come from the A697 heading south from bonny Scotland, turn right at a signpost which reads: National Park, Coquetdale, Rothbury (road number B6341). Then follow instructions as under 2.

Where do I stay?

Whilst all delegates should arrange their own accommodation, the following website may be helpful: http://www.theheartofnorthumberland.co.uk/Index.html

* The following suggestions are all within ca. 700 yards (630 m) of the venue:

Hotels and B&Bs:

The Orchard House, http://www.orchardhouserothbury.com/, email: [email protected], tel.  0044 1669 620684

The Queens Head, http://www.queensheadrothbury.com, email: [email protected], tel. 0044 1669 620470

Springfield Guest House, http://www.springfieldguesthouse.co.uk/index.htm, email: [email protected], tel. 0044 1669 621277

The Coquetvale Hotel, www.coquetvale.co.uk, email: [email protected], tel. 0044 1669 622900

The Turks Head, http://www.turksheadrothbury.co.uk/, tel. 0044 1669 620434

Katerina's Guest House, http://www.katerinasguesthouse.co.uk/, email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Self-catering accommodation:

Percy Boynton Cottage, http://www.northumbrian-cottages.info/northumberland-country/rothbury-coquetdale-area/percy-boynton-cottage; email: [email protected]

Tomlinson’s Café and Bunkhouse, www.tomlinsonsrothbury.co.uk, email: [email protected], tel. 0044 1669 621979

Sandyford House, http://www.sandyfordhouserothbury.co.uk/, email: [email protected], tel. 0044 1669 621979

The Acorns, East Oaktree House, https://www.facebook.com/theacornsrothbury, email: [email protected], tel. 0044 1669 620593 or 620574

Garden Cottage, http://www.northumbria-cottages.co.uk/property/garden-cottage#, email: [email protected]

Carterside Cottages, http://www.cartersidecottages.co.uk, email: [email protected]

* The following options are slightly further away from the venue, and located close to the following landmarks:

Old Rothbury Hillfort: Cairn Rigg, Pennystane Lane, email: [email protected]

Cragside: see http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/cragside/places-to-stay/

Simonside Hills: Tosson Tower Farm Holidays, http://www.tossontowerfarm.com/

* For more detailed advice you are most welcome to contact [email protected]

When do I leave?

Please note that, whilst the conference ends on Friday, there is a social programme on Saturday for those who wish to extend their stay for fun and informal discussion. Options for activities include: walking (e.g. ascent of Simonside Hills via Lordenshaws); tennis at the Rothbury Lawn Tennis Club; coffee at various coffee shops or art galleries. Feel free to contact Jan to discuss.