The New Merchants of Doubt

The document argues that the FAO has been captured by the 'Big Livestock' sector, leading to the systematic downplaying of the environmental impacts of animal farming. It traces this shift from the 2006 'Livestock's Long Shadow' report, which highlighted livestock as a major climate driver, to more recent publications like 'Pathways towards Lower Emissions' and the 'Global Roadmap'. The author claims these later documents use flawed methodologies to lower emission estimates and prioritise industry-friendly technological fixes over necessary reductions in livestock numbers and meat consumption. The report details how industry lobbyists influence the FAO through national delegations and partnerships, resulting in a narrative that preserves the status quo of intensive livestock production.

• The FAO's estimates of livestock's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions have been systematically reduced over time, falling from 18% in the 2006 'Livestock's Long Shadow' report to 12% in the 2023 'Pathways towards Lower Emissions' report.
• The 2006 'Livestock's Long Shadow' report identified livestock as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to serious environmental problems, noting it used 70% of all agricultural land and 30% of global ice-free land while contributing only 1.4% of global GDP.
• The FAO has been influenced by industry lobbyists who embed themselves within national delegations to committees, allowing private sector interests to shape technical and policy documents.
• The 'Pathways towards Lower Emissions' report is criticised by academics for using a flawed methodology (GLEAM 3) that excludes emissions from retail, household consumption, and waste disposal, and for underestimating the mitigation potential of reducing livestock herds by a factor of six to 40.
• The FAO's 'Global Roadmap' focuses on increasing livestock productivity and 'sustainable intensification' rather than reducing production or consumption, despite the fact that current productivity growth is only around 1% per annum.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2024). The New Merchants of Doubt. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FAO-Case-Study.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. The New Merchants of Doubt. 2024. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FAO-Case-Study.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=The New Merchants of Doubt |date=July 2024 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FAO-Case-Study.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2024new, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{The New Merchants of Doubt}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/FAO-Case-Study.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }