Major meat and dairy firms are employing tactics to hinder climate action, a new report by Changing Markets Foundation has claimed.
The report, The New Merchants of Doubt, analysed activities by the top 22 global meat and dairy companies, including Danish Crown, Tyson Foods, JBS, Fonterra, and Nestlé, claiming that these businesses, along with like-minded trade groups, have sought to derail 10 environmental policies within the European Green Deal and New Zealand’s agriculture emissions tax.
The report also suggests widespread conflicts of interest within the meat and dairy industry with politicians benefiting from agricultural subsidies they should reform, and policy experts cycling between industry and public office.
‘Deceptive tactics’
“This report exposes the blatant hypocrisy of Big Meat and Dairy, which claim to be committed to climate solutions while employing deceptive tactics to distract, delay and derail meaningful action,” Nusa Urbancic, CEO of the Changing Markets Foundation. “These tactics mirror those of Big Oil and Big Tobacco, allowing them to continue their harmful practices unchecked.”
The report states that lobby groups representing the meat and dairy industry had over 600 top-level meetings with the European Commission in the past decade, claiming that the dairy industry in particular has taken efforts to exclude methane from air quality legislation – a move not in keeping with the industry’s pledge to commit to sustainable agriculture.
It also claims that the meat and dairy industry have engaged in marketing campaigns to promote meat and dairy as sustainable and healthy in high-consumption countries like the US and UK, contrary to WHO recommendations, including campaigns on TikTok and Instagram, to appeal to younger consumers.
Read more: Major food firms commit to reporting on, reducing methane emissions
Methane emissions
“Livestock methane emissions are a major driver of climate change, creating a crisis for the environment, public health, and future food security,” Urbancic added.
“Instead of addressing this issue seriously, our research reveals that Big Meat and Dairy, including major global brands, have lobbied against progressive legislation, greenwashed their products to mislead consumers, and resisted the shift towards healthier, plant-based diets.
“This report further proves that the real battle lies not in telling people what to eat but in regulating corporate interests and reining their influence to derail the efforts to address the climate crisis.”
The full report can be found here.
