Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
Protecting Food. Empowering Whistleblowers.
FIC Researcher Releases Report on Climate Policy and the Power of the Livestock Industry
Earlier this year, we told you about exciting FIC research tracking the relationship between climate change policy and the livestock industry. Our new white paper, “Mapping a Decade of the Climate Policy-Livestock Industry Nexus in the United States,” addresses this complicated relationship. As the U.S. ranks among the world’s largest producers and consumers of beef, and beef production generates significant amounts of greenhouse gases (GHGs), the structure of the U.S. beef industry and the strength of the industry’s political influence affects our planet’s future.
The white paper describes how the beef and cattle industry has grown more concentrated while doubling production and increasing exports over the last two decades. Increasingly large meat-packing plants created demand for larger feedlots located conveniently nearby. Both the U.S. Farm Bills and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) helped drive these trends, with comparatively few policy efforts devoted to reducing the environmental impact of the industry, especially GHG emissions.
Eager to learn more? Check out the full report, and stay tuned for more coverage of climate change and food systems issues at our ten-year anniversary conference this fall!