All 10 of the largest U.S. meat and dairy companies have lobbied against environmental and climate policies, resisting climate regulations, including rules on greenhouse gases and emissions reporting. This is according to a study by New York University, which examined the political influence of the 10 largest meat and dairy companies in the United States.

    • @DrCatface@lemmy.ml
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      32 years ago

      Besides, there is nothing wrong with the planet… nothing wrong with the planet. The planet is fine… the people are fucked! Difference! The planet is fine! Compared to the people, THE PLANET IS DOING GREAT: Been here four and a half billion years! Do you ever think about the arithmetic? The planet has been here four and a half billion years, we’ve been here what? 100,000? Maybe 200,000? And we’ve only been engaged in heavy industry for a little over 200 years. 200 years versus four and a half billion and we have the conceit to think that somehow, we’re a threat? That somehow, we’re going to put in jeopardy this beautiful little blue-green ball that’s just a-floatin’ around the sun? The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through all kinds of things worse than us: been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drifts, solar flares, sunspots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles, hundreds of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors, worldwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice ages, and we think some plastic bags and aluminum cans are going to make a difference?

      The planet isn’t going anywhere… we are! We’re going away! Pack your shit folks! We’re going away and we won’t leave much of a trace either, thank God for that… maybe a little styrofoam… maybe… little styrofoam. The planet will be here, we’ll be long gone; just another failed mutation; just another closed-end biological mistake; an evolutionary cul-de-sac. The planet will shake us off like a bad case of fleas, a surface nuisance. You wanna know how the planet’s doing? Ask those people in Pompeii who are frozen into position from volcanic ash how the planet’s doing. Wanna know if the planet’s all right? Ask those people in Mexico City or Armenia or a hundred other places buried under thousands of tons of earthquake rubble if they feel like a threat to the planet this week. How about those people in Kilauea, Hawaii who build their homes right next to an active volcano and then wonder why they have lava in the living room?

      The planet will be here for a long, long, LONG time after we’re gone and it will heal itself, it will cleanse itself cause that’s what it does. It’s a self-correcting system. The air and the water will recover, the earth will be renewed, and if it’s true that plastic is not degradable, well, the planet will simply incorporate plastic into a new paradigm: The Earth plus Plastic. The Earth doesn’t share our prejudice towards plastic. Plastic came out of the Earth! The Earth probably sees plastic as just another one of its children. Could be the only reason the Earth allowed us to be spawned from it in the first place: it wanted plastic for itself, didn’t know how to make it, needed us. Could be the answer to our age-old philosophical question: “Why are we here?” PLASTIC!!! ASSHOLES!!! -George Carlin

      • @Birdie@thelemmy.club
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        122 years ago

        Yep, you’ve summed it up. Earth will indeed be here forever. The question is whether it will be habitable. And humans don’t seem to give a single care, as long as their life span will be over before the environment /climate poops out. And as long as they can take in money with no concern about their child, grandchildren, great-,grandchildren, and on down the line.

        We can change this, we can mitigate the damage, but the powers that be refuse to acknowledge their negative impact on the future of the planet, they do not care…as long as they rake in the money.

        I’ve got children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and I CARE. Jesus Pete, how hard is it to see beyond the end of our own noses?

    • @bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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      32 years ago

      Vegans need to make better food that can appeal to the masses, is easy to find and consume, and isn’t pretending to be meat.

      Telsa convinced the world that the electric car was viable by making a better car, not by making a shitty car and trying to guilt people into buying one… which was the approach of all the previous electric cars. If vegans want plants to catch on, they need to do the same thing. Stop trying to guilt people and make food that’s good enough that people willingly choose it over meat, because it tastes better. That should be the goal. Pretty much everything “plant-based” that’s pretending to be some other food is a non-starter. The original food is always better. Keep it natural and don’t process everything to hell, like the impossible burger… that thing is terrifying.

      If you feel like you’re dragging people kicking and screaming to Veganism, then they need a better product, it’s that simple. Get better recipes. Prove it out in some restaurants, franchise them, and have them go head to head with McDonalds. Package stuff and get it into stores and have it go head to head with all the other shit in stores. Get some marketing to convince people to get a banana instead of a candy bar, or whatever plant instead of beef jerky. That’s what it’s going to take. And if the marketing is is all about how meat is bad and people need to eat plants to save the planet… Nope. Wrong. It’s going to fail. You’re trying to go after the market that doesn’t give a shit about any of that.

      • @NFord@lemmy.world
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        62 years ago

        Hey everyone, this person is brilliant. Let’s get cracking on making food less yucky and producing banana commercials. Gosh, what would the world do without this? The meat and dairy industry won’t know what hit them.

        • @bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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          12 years ago

          That’s fine, keep doing nothing and expecting people to magically changing on their own. If that’s the route you all want to go, great, also step telling people to go vegan all the time.

          • @NFord@lemmy.world
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            42 years ago

            I base my actions on historical precedence. Slavery in the United States did not end by marketing abolition in a friendlier way, nor was it halted for lack of better alternatives. Civil rights were not enacted because of civil obedience.

            • @bob_wiley@lemmy.world
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              12 years ago

              Vegan isn’t a diet, homie.

              I have no idea where this came from. I never said the word “diet”.

              I don’t give a fuck what you eat.

              You started the thread with this…

              Save the world! Go Vegan! [Or at least plant-based]

              Clearly you give a fuck.

      • @weastie@lemmy.world
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        92 years ago

        Actually, vegan meats have won multiple blind taste tests over real meat. Google it, it’s happened on multiple occasions – in actual studies as well as DIY tests.

      • @CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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        42 years ago

        I’m not sure it falls on the vegans to do any of this. What should really happen is that true costs are passed along for harmful diets and instead we subsidize foods that are good for you.

      • @kicksystem@lemmy.world
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        22 years ago

        I don’t know under which rock you have been living, but this is exactly what has been happening at a super rapid pace the last few years. I am not sure where you are from, but where I am from the vegan sections in the supermarkets are growing super fast with new and new vegan restaurants are popping up left and right.

        Take this for example: https://plantbasednews.org/news/economics/lidl-vegan-food-price-meat-equivalents/ https://plantbasednews.org/news/economics/plant-based-food-retail-sales-record/

        Also, it’s always non-vegans who complain about what vegans should do. The world is dying, hundreds of millions of animals are killed each day and vegans are trying every fucking thing they can to try and stop the hurting. Let me tell you: vegans are out on the streets demonstrating, forming political parties and lobbying, transforming the food sector, doing medical research to show the (nearly entirely positive) effects of the diet, creating recipes and cookbooks, opening restaurants, helping people make the transition, doing critical animal studies, making documentaries, going undercover in slaughterhouses and factory farms, trying to get lab grown meat onto the market, arguing on the internet, etc. You’ve got no clue how much effort is being expended to try people like you to stop being part of the problem. How about you taking some responsibility? We’ll keep trying in the mean time.

  • @Seudo@lemmy.world
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    392 years ago

    100%

    10 of the biggest

    Always handy when a pop-sci article discredits itself without having to read it.

    • @MooseBoys@lemmy.world
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      22 years ago

      I also wonder how many of them also lobbied in favor of similar policies. It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s also 100% of them.

      • Norgur
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        42 years ago

        Part of the investigation were all Meat and dairy companies which had lobbied against environmental protection bills in the past

          • @abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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            12 years ago

            The article tries to make it sound like all meat and dairy companies are guilty, and then goes on to make claims about health risks of eating meat and claims about animal rights.

            It’s not a meaningful argument about the environment, it’s propaganda.

  • mechoman444
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    42 years ago

    I don’t know if y’all know this but short term profits are much more important to rich old people that won’t see the earth they created for their grand kids.

      • @CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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        82 years ago

        Oh, there is no cost to it?

        The FAO report found that current production levels of meat contribute between 14 and 22 percent of the 36 billion tons of “CO2-equivalent” greenhouse gases the world produces every year. It turns out that producing half a pound of hamburger for someone’s lunch a patty of meat the size of two decks of cards releases as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as driving a 3,000-pound car nearly 10 miles.

        We should at least start passing on the true cost of harmful things like meat onto the consumer and putting subsidies behind better alternatives. That will start to shift things. Trying to tell people they are doing the wrong thing won’t matter to a lot of people who have no to little morals. But start to encourage them economically and it will have better outcomes.

        • @Rhoeri@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          Did I say there’s no cost to it? And no morals? Really? If you had an argument- you lost it right there.

      • @Nevoic@lemm.ee
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        112 years ago

        Stating uncomfortable facts about the world that people would otherwise gladly ignore.

          • @Nevoic@lemm.ee
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            32 years ago

            It’s clickbait but it’s also absolutely true. I get it’s easier for you to not do any research and continue to think it’s “probably false”.

            My suggestion to you is instead of half-engaging, just fully close your eyes. Just continue living in your fantasy world and stop engaging with this kind of content, while the rest of us continue to try to solve these real issues.

            • @Rhoeri@lemmy.world
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              52 years ago

              And my suggestion to you is- read the other 50-100 or so comments where people provided factual rebuttals to this bullshit article.

              Talk about fantasy worlds.

              I’m going to block you now as I generally don’t entertain futile arguments with blowhard vegans.

              • @Nevoic@lemm.ee
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                2 years ago

                If there was any actual evidence against it you would’ve said “false” and not “probably false”, but even in your own little make-believe world you couldn’t bring yourself to that point.

  • originalucifer
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    2 years ago

    those are some upstanding humans you got there, U.S. meat and dairy.

    stop hiding the humans behind ‘companies’. name freakin names of the bad peoples.

  • @Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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    572 years ago

    Holy misleading headline, Batman!

    I’m not saying that there isn’t a problem with the industries, but the 10 largest in one country is NOT “100% of all meat and dairy companies” or anywhere near that!

    A sample size of the 10 largest in a country where it’s literally impossible to get to the top 10 anything company without truly despicable practices is some supercharged selection bias!

    • @I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
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      42 years ago

      I got some hippy-ass, “one bad day,” native grass open pasture, keep the calves with their moms until they wean naturally, one cow per acre, priced to reflect the true cost of meat cattle ranches where I live. I don’t think they were part of this survey.

      • Same. My farmer, Justin, also makes sure the animals don’t travel far to the abattoir. That said, I feel like (though hope I’m wrong) our farmers do not make up a significant part of the industry. I wouldn’t even consider our guys part of the same “industry” that the big shops are part of

        • @I_Fart_Glitter@lemmy.world
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          22 years ago

          It’s pretty niche. The place I go started a program to help breed pigs back down to a reasonable size. Apparently they have painful problems from being over bred, like hip dysplasia. They are networking with other small farms to breed their pigs progressively smaller and healthier.

          But yeah, not really putting a dent in the factory farming problem and not accessible to most.

    • @abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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      22 years ago

      More important, as long as people keep looping all the small farms with “big ag”, especially in the US, there will never be a reasoned discourse.

      We all hate big ag. More agricultural subsidies than people realize are paid by small farms (not individuals) and received by big ones.

      • @Viking_Hippie@lemmy.world
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        12 years ago

        70% of the market (…) easily round up to 100%

        That’s some real special math you have there, willfully ignoring probably millions of people as irrelevant and probably just as bad as some of the worst in the world 🤦

        and wasn’t some super small farmer

        But I thought you just said that such a thing doesn’t exist! 70% being 100% and all…

        Besides, you know that sustainable farming co-ops exist and many of those deal in meat and dairy, right?

        Some of them are quite large, in spite of your insistence on eliminating them to defend a headline that reads as something a crazed PeTA activist would shout at people 🙄

        • @mrpants@midwest.social
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          2 years ago

          That’s some incredibly misleading editing of my comment which is already above so why bother. It’s just weird. I do hope you get better.

        • @force@lemmy.world
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          Can you read? He said 4 companies make up about 70%, he didn’t say 4 companies make up 100%… he said 10 companies would round up to 100%. You are illiterate

      • @Crazypartypony@lemmy.world
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        12 years ago

        They couldn’t be top 10 if they supported those initiatives. It’s selection bias. Only the ones who couldn’t possibly support those policies and still be in their position are counted. It’s pretty misleading, even if it’s a large portion. Besides, it’s the 10 largest US companies. There’s a bunch not in the US, obviously the US doesn’t make up 100% of the industry. It’s just the place that’s most concerned with profit over anything else, it seems.

  • Arin
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    772 years ago

    IDK why corporate lobbing is still legal, wtf outlaw it asap

    • @Touching_Grass@lemmy.world
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      I don’t care about corporate lobbying because I think its useful. Lobbying is useful because its just keeping your issues to people who can do something about it.

      What I don’t get is why regular people don’t organize and create their own lobby. I know wealthy individuals who do it to change things they don’t like.

      They don’t stand in streets and burn energy screaming right before they get their heads caved in by police. You know what’s better, paying $5 into a pool and hiring a firm to develop research and a report that you can give to a lawyer who can start to bring it to representatives.

      There’s a reason you never see wallstreet bankers or tobacco executives in the streets. Its not how anything gets done

      You’re all down voting but you know lobbying is for anyone right. Check out the link below to see an example. Would you want to remove groups like this from bringing their cause forward. Lobbying itself isn’t bad. What is bad is that more people aren’t using it which leaves only the corrupt ones

      https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2021/05/abortion-rights-up-lobbying-with-roe-threatened/

      • @Fades@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Lobbying is useful because its just keeping your issues to people who can do something about it.

        Actually, lobbying is hurtful because it puts a goddamn pricetag on getting anything done. What happens when I have a million fucking dollars and you don’t, but your need is far greater? Go fuck yourself until you get more scrilla!

        SHUT THE FUCK UP UNTIL YOU HAVE THE MONEY – that is what you’re supporting right now.

        What I don’t get is why regular people don’t organize and create their own lobby.

        Oh boy, you sure are clueless, which is pretty lame since you’re pushing some bullshit opinions here

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_action_committee

        In the United States, a political action committee (PAC) is a tax-exempt 527 organization that pools campaign contributions from members and donates those funds to campaigns for or against candidates, ballot initiatives, or legislation.[1][2] The legal term PAC was created in pursuit of campaign finance reform in the United States. Democracies of other countries use different terms for the units of campaign spending or spending on political competition (see political finance). At the U.S. federal level, an organization becomes a PAC when it receives or spends more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing a federal election, and registers with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), according to the Federal Election Campaign Act as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (also known as the McCain–Feingold Act).[3] At the state level, an organization becomes a PAC according to the state’s election laws.

        Contributions to PACs from corporate or labor union treasuries are illegal, though these entities may sponsor a PAC and provide financial support for its administration and fundraising. Union-affiliated PACs may solicit contributions only from union members. Independent PACs may solicit contributions from the general public and must pay their own costs from those funds.

        Who can create a PAC?

        An individual or group can set up a “nonconnected committee” when it wants to set up a political action committee (PAC), and that PAC is not one of the following: A political party committee. A candidate’s authorized committee. A separate segregated fund (SSF) established by a corporation or labor organization.

        here ya go bud: https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/registering-pac/

        There’s a reason you never see wallstreet bankers or tobacco executives in the streets. Its not how anything gets done

        you fucking moron. The reason you never see them in the streets is because they’re the ones who built the goddamn system to favor THEMSELVES. That’s why they DO join us on the streets, just above us – to laugh at us pawns who are fucked from the start.

        Lastly, you’re 100% wrong about the streets not solving a goddamn thing.

    • @Pat_Riot@lemmy.today
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      132 years ago

      Ah, what you are missing is that the people who make those laws are the same ones being lobbied, and lobbying means giving money to them.

    • @Cheers@sh.itjust.works
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      22 years ago

      It exists because it’s ridiculous to expect government to know about every industry’s ins and outs. Sometimes we benefit from lobbying as because some old law is affecting new processes or we need to support funding for something that we didn’t know about.

      The issue is when shit is mundane and worthless like the topic op presented. Lobbying against climate policies just means you’re part of the problem. We understand enough to know the policies need to exist and it’s a waste of everyone’s time and money for these giant corps to lobby against them.

      • @aidan@lemmy.worldM
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        12 years ago

        Furthermore, for a lot of issues, there are a select few people who have a big enough incentive to vote solely on one issue, and the rest of people don’t care because the harm is does to them is relatively diffuse.

    • CrazyEddie041
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      622 years ago

      It’s legal because the people who benefit from corporate lobbying are the same people who determine what is legal.

      • @rdrunner@lemmy.world
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        92 years ago

        Yup! And it’s exactly why the system will never change on its own. The people in power will never voluntarily give up that power. Why does Congress get to vote on its own salary?!

  • @xantoxis@lemmy.world
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    152 years ago

    You know that this can’t possibly be true, because most meat and dairy companies do not have a lobbying arm, right? Right in the first sentence it says it’s the top 10 largest, but let’s go ahead and put some bullshit in the headline anyway right?

  • @Copernican@lemmy.world
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    Wtf is with quality on lemmy world these days. How is a medium article written like an ethics 101 student using ai assistance news worthy. It’s formula 1 sentence summary linked to an article source, with one sentence over generalized conclusion… Over and over and over.

  • @H0neyc0mb@lemmy.world
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    352 years ago

    I know a lot of people are new here but this kind of shit should be moderated better… Link to the study, not someone’s blog

    • @beveradb@lemm.ee
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      92 years ago

      Agreed, this is a blog post from 3 days ago but all of the sources they link in the footer are from early 2021… nothing new here and this article is a biased mess.

      That said, there’s nothing surprising here anyway, lobbying in the US is just bribery and corruption by another term and obviously these companies are going to do anything they can to defend their profits

      • @Rambi@lemm.ee
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        52 years ago

        Well it appears to be the top 10 companies, so it is almost certainly quite close to 100%. Still not 100% though so it’s wrong of course, there’s no point saying something incorrect even if it’s pretty close to the truth.

        • @abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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          12 years ago

          Not really. Small farmers generally couldn’t care less about lobbying, and represent over 90% of the meat and dairy farms in the US. Literally, they cherry-picked Big Ag and the clickbait headline extrapolated conclusions about a completely different demographic.

      • @eskimofry@lemmy.world
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        12 years ago

        The headline is clickbait. They are phrasing it as 100% because they mean all 10 of the companies they investigated lobbied against climate change.

        • @abraxas@sh.itjust.works
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          12 years ago

          As I replied elsewhere, I’d rather use the word “propaganda”. The article isn’t about the environment at all. It’s about throwing a bunch of reasons at the reader to become vegan. And clickbait headlines always put the full story in the body, but it continues to leave out the fact that 90% of the meat and dairy industry (the non-big-ag) isn’t represented in their 100% figure.