I Nuovi Mercanti del Dubbio

The report details how 'Big Meat and Dairy' companies employ tactics similar to those of the tobacco and fossil fuel industries to avoid environmental regulation. These strategies include 'greenwashing' through weak net-zero targets, funding industry-biased research to minimize the impact of methane emissions, and aggressive lobbying to prevent binding legislation. The document highlights a pattern of 'carrot-only' approaches where companies promote voluntary technological fixes while spending more on advertising than on actual R&D for low-carbon solutions. A detailed case study on Italy reveals the use of transnational far-right narratives and online disinformation to frame cultivated meat as a threat to tradition and health, thereby supporting legislative bans.

• The meat and dairy industry employs three primary strategies to obstruct climate action: distracting, delaying, and diverting. These tactics mirror those previously used by the tobacco and fossil fuel industries to avoid regulation.
• Industry 'greenwashing' involves the use of weak net-zero targets and misleading marketing. An analysis of 22 major companies found that none fully meet the scientific integrity standards set by the UN expert group, although Danone is noted as the most aligned with the 1.5-degree goal.
• The industry funds academic research to minimize the perceived impact of methane. This includes promoting the GWP* metric to suggest that small reductions could make the sector 'climate neutral' and using the concept of 'regenerative agriculture' to argue against reducing livestock numbers.
• There is a significant disparity between the industry's public claims about technological solutions and its actual investment. Research shows companies spend only 1% of revenues on R&D, and some, such as Fonterra, Nestlé, and Arla, spend more on advertising than on internal R&D.
• In the United States, the industry has secured 'carrot-only' policies, such as through the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which provides funding for technological fixes like methane digesters without requiring proof of actual emission reductions.
• In the European Union, industry lobbying has successfully weakened the Green Deal and the 'Farm to Fork' strategy. The group Copa-Cogeca specifically worked to remove the requirement to reduce agricultural emissions by 30% from the 2040 long-term climate target.
• Italy's ban on cultivated meat was supported by a strategic surge of online disinformation. Analysis shows that 80% of the primary 'disinfluencers' promoting the ban were based outside Italy, specifically in the US, UK, and Sweden, often linking the issue to far-right conspiracy theories like the 'Great Reset'.
• The report identifies a pattern of 'agricultural exceptionalism' where the sector is largely exempt from environmental regulations due to political influence and the use of 'revolving doors' between industry and government, citing US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack as a key example.
• In New Zealand, the dairy and meat industries have blocked agricultural emission regulations for two decades through political influence and disinformation, such as the 2003 'Fart Tax' protests.

APA

Changing Markets Foundation (2024). I Nuovi Mercanti del Dubbio. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Italian-Executive-Summary-Case-Study.pdf

Chicago

Changing Markets Foundation. I Nuovi Mercanti del Dubbio. 2024. https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Italian-Executive-Summary-Case-Study.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Changing Markets Foundation |title=I Nuovi Mercanti del Dubbio |date=July 2024 |url=https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Italian-Executive-Summary-Case-Study.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{changingmarketsfoundation2024nuovi, author = {{Changing Markets Foundation}}, title = {{I Nuovi Mercanti del Dubbio}}, institution = {Changing Markets Foundation}, year = {2024}, month = jul, url = {https://changingmarkets.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Italian-Executive-Summary-Case-Study.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }