June 24, 2026 | Source: National Hog Farmer | by Ann Hess,

After vetoing a bill that would have prohibited lab-grown meat sales in South Dakota, and instead advocating for an amended version that would allow for further study, as well as pending litigation in other states to unfold, Governor Larry Rhoden’s five-year moratorium on cell-cultured protein will take effect July 1. The prohibition will be in effect until June 30, 2030.

“Until we know more about the safety of cell-cultured protein, a five-year moratorium will allow for more adequate studies and for lawsuits to resolve,” said Rhoden. “You won’t catch me eating these products, but it’s against our values to ban products just because we don’t like them. This moratorium received overwhelming support or our state legislature, and I was proud to sign it.”

“SDCA appreciated Governor Rhoden charting the path forward with a compromise that balanced further research with South Dakota’s open market mindset,” said South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association President Craig Bieber. “Cell-cultured products will never be a competition to real meat, and thanks to the compromise, South Dakota maintains a fair marketplace and avoids retaliatory actions from outside the state, ensuring consumers continue to have access to the highest-quality beef produced here in South Dakota.”