PETA is serious: the first person to succeed in producing in vitro meat (in commercially viable quantities) by June 30, 2012, will win a $1 million check, the organization unveiled on Monday. Inspired by the in vitro meat symposium in Norway, PETA launched the unusual competition hoping to find an alternative to killing millions of animals to generate food. The organization warned that in the U.S. alone, 1 million chickens are being killed every hour.

Ingrid E. Newkirk, PETA cofounder and President, said in a statement: "Many people are stunned to hear that PETA is interested in lab-grown meat, but it's clear that we must overcome our own revulsion at flesh-eating to achieve a kinder world. One million dollars might seem like a lot of money, but it's a small price to pay for something that has the potential to save about 1 million lives every hour."

The organization drew attention that 40 billion chickens, fish, pigs, and cows are killed every year in the United States for food production, and not only that, but the animals are drugged and excessively fed to grow faster until “they become crippled under their own weight.”

Sacrificing the animals is not only a painful process for them, but as people consume more meat and animal products, they become exposed to heart disease, strokes, diabetes and several types of cancer.

PETA says the discovery would not only stop animals from suffering, but “it would dramatically reduce the devastating effect the meat industry has on the environment.” They also added: “as many people continue to refuse to kick their meat addictions, PETA is willing to help them gain access to flesh that doesn’t cause suffering and death.”