According to two papers recently published in the journals Environmental Research Letters and Climate Policy, the US beef industry knew of its role in climate change decades ago and “worked to obstruct efforts to encourage meat reduction for the sake of climate change”.
Beef industry put profits over planet
The new reports find that:
- A beef industry document from 1989 laid out plans to influence public opinion and legislation in response to climate concerns.
- The plan appears to be a blueprint for the industry’s actions to obstruct efforts that would reduce meat/beef consumption for the sake of climate protection.
- Industry groups organized generously funded advertising campaigns to counter the messaging of environmental advocates.
- The industry lobbied against sustainable diet change efforts including Meatless Mondays, official dietary guidelines, and the landmark EAT-Lancet report.
“The low-tech and immediately available option of halving US beef and veal consumption, resulting in a savings of 125–410 megatonnes (Mt) CO2eq per year over the 32 year period, could have been 24–80 times more effective in reducing GHG emissions in a single year than what was achieved cumulatively by reducing methane emissions (mainly in the oil and gas industries) over a similar timespan (1990–2022).” (Jennifer Jacquet et al 2025 Environ. Res. Lett. 20 031006)
According to reports, the beef industry’s lobbying and marketing efforts have silenced advocates, maintained a high public demand for meat, and slowed the development of sustainable food policies for decades; all while knowing the climate impacts of the industry.
Vox
In February 1989, the Environmental Protection Agency held a workshop on how to reduce climate emissions. A representative from the nation’s largest and oldest beef industry group — the National Cattlemen’s Association (NCA) — attended the workshop. Soon after, the organization developed a report to keep beef on family tables despite the growing knowledge around its climate impacts.
“The Cattlemen’s plan — an internal 17-page memo titled “Strategic Plan on the Environment” — went unnoticed for decades until two University of Miami researchers, Jennifer Jacquet and Loredana Loy, recently unearthed the document in the NCA’s archives.”
“Notably, the beef industry plan had barely a mention about addressing cattle pollution. Instead, it centered around how the public and policymakers would perceive that pollution.”