The world’s largest meat and dairy companies emit more climate-warming methane than all European Union and United Kingdom countries combined, according to a new assessment published Monday.
Livestock, primarily beef and dairy cattle, account for about one-third of global methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. Yet, unlike energy firms, these companies are not required to report their greenhouse gas emissions.
To understand the climate impact of these companies, the nonprofit research firm Profundo and four environmental groups calculated emissions using available production and slaughter data, applying an updated modeling framework from the United Nations.
The study examined 45 major livestock and dairy companies, finding they emitted about 1 billion tons of greenhouse gases in 2023—comparable to Saudi Arabia, the second-largest oil producer.
“These emissions are significant and largely ignored in government policy,” said Ben Lilliston, director of rural strategies and climate change at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, one of the groups behind the report.
The report was also supported by Friends of the Earth U.S., Foodrise, and Greenpeace Nordic.
The Brazilian meat companies JBS, Marfrig, and Minerva, along with American firms Tyson and Cargill, were the top five emitters, contributing nearly half of the total emissions from the 45 companies. JBS alone accounted for nearly a quarter of these emissions.
This report precedes the annual United Nations climate summit, COP, set in Belém, Brazil. The Brazilian beef industry is often blamed for deforestation in the Amazon, primarily driven by cattle ranching, which accounts for nearly 80 percent.
Meanwhile, only a few countries in the Paris climate agreement have set specific targets to reduce livestock emissions.
“We hope this report highlights the need for significant emissions reductions in the meat and dairy sector,” said Kari Hamerschlag, deputy director of food and agriculture at Friends of the Earth. “It’s crucial to implement mandatory emissions cuts, especially for methane.”
Inside Climate News reached out to the top five emitters for comments on the report, but they did not respond.
Research indicates that even if fossil fuel emissions ceased, emissions from the food system would still exceed climate targets, as shown in a recent study.
Despite some voluntary emission-cut promises, many livestock and dairy companies have ambitious growth plans. JBS aims to boost production to match a 70 percent increase in global meat consumption by 2050, alongside emission cuts promises.
In February 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued JBS USA for allegedly misleading the public about its net-zero emissions plans by 2040. Earlier, the New York Supreme Court dismissed the case, accepting JBS’s jurisdictional challenge.
The agriculture sector’s environmental impacts remain largely unregulated in the U.S., facing further scrutiny reduction under the Trump administration.
Several major companies have quietly reduced their voluntary emission targets recently. Nestlé withdrew from a dairy compact and JBS acknowledged its net-zero goals as aspirational. Tyson dropped its “climate smart” beef label.
“They seem to be retracting even weak commitments,” said Lilliston. “It’s discouraging.”
In a statement, Nestlé said it reduced methane emissions by 21 percent from 2018 to 2024. “Nestlé regularly reviews its external memberships. We have left the Dairy Methane Action Alliance but remain committed to our Dairy Climate Plan and Net Zero Roadmap,” a spokesperson stated.
Lilliston noted that California and the European Union will soon require large companies, including agriculture firms, to report supply chain emissions. “We aim for transparency in company reporting and consistent methodology,” he said.
Original Story at insideclimatenews.org