Misrepresentation by Animal Exploiting Industries: The portrayal of the animal agriculture industry by lobbyists often lacks transparency, and does not disclose clear information surrounding harmful elements that may be found in products, the potential harm that may have come to humans or animals, or the negative impacts on the environment (1). In the case of terminology, the animal agriculture lobbies have sought to confiscate language and challenge free speech through legislation (2).

AG Industry-Backed Lobbying: Problems arise when legislation leans towards the interests of the industry and against the interests of those whom it is supposed to protect. Lobbying by large animal agriculture industries has the power to negatively affect the regulation of business practices and the protection of community health and the environment (3).

Blocking Climate Action: Top U.S. meat and dairy companies, along with livestock and agricultural lobbying groups, have spent millions campaigning against climate action and sowing doubt about the links between animal agriculture and climate change (4).

Climate and Environmental Greenwashing: A European meat lobby promotes a number of false narratives in an attempt to justify the meat industry’s business model: an example of how the meat industry is climate-washing its activities (5). Investment funding of total climate breakdown through industrial meat and dairy corporations is exposed in a report by Feedback Global (6). Even though the U. S. uses the most animals for research, they are not required to report numbers. Global estimates of up to 126.9 million non-human vertebrate animals are bred, used, and disposed of in the drug, medical, chemical, cosmetic, and household product industries. Data on resources used in animal research, waste production in laboratories, sources of pollution, impacts on laboratory workers’ health, biodiversity impacts, and zoonotic diseases are not effectively recorded (7).

Countering Price Fixing: Major United States dairy producers will pay $52 million to settle an antitrust class-action lawsuit accusing them of slaughtering more than 500,000 cows to reduce milk supply and inflate prices (8). Lawsuits, subpoenas and indictments following challenges of a pandemic suggest deep-rooted problems across the industrial animal agriculture sector (9).

Animal Ag. Lobbies bailout losses: The livestock lobby’s peak spending of nearly $3.5 million came in 2006, a few years after mad cow disease was found in the U.S. Another example: in 2009, when lobbying spending also hit more than $3 million: By late October that year, President Barack Obama declared swine flu a national emergency (10).

Manipulation of IPCC Report: According to leaked documents, meat and fossil fuel producing countries successfully lobbied for changes that are, in many cases, in direct conflict with scientific evidence (11). *Link provided here to access the report edits (12).

Download the document below to read the full list of the latest citations of evidence as to how animal exploitation undermines the progress of SDG Goal 17: Partnerships To Achieve The Goal