New study on meat companies’ lobbying to block climate action

A New York University (NYU) study found big meat and dairy companies spend a disproportionate amount of their revenue lobbying against climate policies and funding science that blurs the link between animal agriculture and climate change.

According to the study, the six US groups – the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, the National Pork Producers Council, the North American Meat Institute, the National Chicken Council, the International Dairy Foods Association, and the American Farm Bureau Federation, have collectively spent $200 million on lobbying since 2000. Meat and dairy companies routinely lobby against climate policies such as cap-and-trade, the Clean Air Act, and other farm reporting regulations. Millions were spent to support political campaigns as well, funding Congress members who have backed pro-agriculture bills and frequently voted against climate change legislation.

 Individual companies in the industry also spend lavishly. For example, Tyson’s lobbying expenditure as a share of revenue is 33% higher than that of fossil fuel company ExxonMobil. Although some of the cited figures are total lobbying spending and are not climate-specific, it is worth noting that some seemingly less relevant policies such as crop incentives or land-use decisions can also drive harmful emissions.

 Lobbying against policies to stem climate change could be argued to be in contradiction of Principle 1 - Legitimacy as it would be difficult to put a public interest case forward for such lobbying positions. Furthermore, the scale of spending likely crowds out the opportunities for other interest parties to lobby including Civil Society Organisations, which is codified in Principle 5 – Opportunity.

 Another finding from the study relates to the industry funding academic research to downplay their climate impact, instead of acknowledging the UN estimate that animal agriculture contributes to 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. This is the opposite of demonstrating an evidence-based approach to lobbying (Principle 1- Legitimacy).

 According to the OECD-FAO Agricultural statistics, meat consumption is projected to increase by 12% by 2029. Although the growth rate may decrease over the medium term, the volume of meat consumption and the associated emissions remain a key driver of climate change. Ensuring that the industry’s lobbying is responsible is therefore of crucial importance for a safe climate.

Read the Vox article here.