Italy’s government on Tuesday approved a bill to ban the use of lab-grown meat and animal feed, saying it would save the country’s agricultural heritage, the agriculture minister told a news conference after a Reuters cabinet meeting.

If the proposal is passed by parliament, Italian industry would not be allowed to produce food or feed “from cell cultures or tissues derived from vertebrate animals,” according to a draft bill seen by Reuters.

The new rules do not apply to products produced in other countries of the European Union, in Turkey or in the European Economic Area, the draft says.

Factories that use lab-grown meat may be shut down

Violation of the rules can result in fines of up to €60,000.

“Laboratory products, in our opinion, do not guarantee the quality, well-being and protection of our culture, our tradition,” said Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s right-wing Fraternity of Italy party.

Maloni’s nationalist administration promised to protect Italy’s food from technological innovations deemed harmful and renamed the agriculture ministry the “Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty.”

Agricultural association Coldiretti praised the move against “synthetic food”, saying the ban was needed to protect domestic production “from attacks by multinational companies”.

The draft law provides for the closure of factories that violate these provisions, and manufacturers may lose the right to receive state funding for a period of up to three years.

The initiative has angered organizations that support the development of “cellular” agricultural products across Europe, as well as animal rights groups.

“Passing such a law would block the economic potential of this emerging industry in Italy, hindering scientific progress and climate change mitigation efforts,” said Alice Ravenscroft, head of policy at the Good Food Institute Europe.

Food chain Cellular Agriculture Europe said Italy was limiting choices for consumers concerned about animal welfare and the impact of their food choices on the environment.

The LAV group called the bill “an ideological, anti-scientific crusade against progress.” The group says that lab-grown meat, which is produced from the cells of living animals, is a good alternative to over-breeding and slaughtering animals.

Melons fighting cricket flour

Banning cellular meat is not Maloni’s only initiative aimed at preventing non-traditional foods from being served on Italian tables.

Last week, she said the government was preparing a series of regulations to introduce information labels on products containing or derived from insects, amid a debate over the use of cricket meal.

“People should be able to make an informed choice,” she wrote on Twitter.