Artificial meat created in a lab could be ready to eat within six months, scientists claim – but the first burger will cost more than £200,000.

Scientists have used animal cells to create an artificial form of meat without the need for the rearing and slaughtering of livestock.

The product, known as “in vitro meat”, is made from thousands of stem cells which multiply to produce strips of muscle tissue without ever leaving the lab.

Dutch scientists experimenting with pig cells say it could be just six months before the first test tube sausage is produced, and within a year lab-grown burgers could be created using similar techniques with cows.

The growing world population could soon mean that our farms cannot produce enough meat to feed everyone, creating a market for artificial beef, pork, lamb and chicken.