Unpacking industry influence in academia and public policy: a case study of the Dublin Declaration of Scientists

The climate emergency poses many challenges for planetary health in the 21st century. Agriculture and food systems reform, including reductions in livestock production and consumption, in industrialised countries are numerously demonstrated as critically important for addressing the climate crisis. However, political commitment and action is lacking. Conflicting narratives about the role of livestock and meat contribute to public uncertainty and policy inertia, particularly when amplified by industry-aligned academic interventions such as the “Dublin Declaration of Scientists on the Societal Role of Livestock.”. Launched in 2022, the Declaration claims to promote a balanced, science-based discussion on the role of livestock in society. Using an embedded case study approach, this study examines how the Declaration operates through interlinked forms of structural, instrumental and discursive power - including selective curation of evidence, strategic coalition-building, and agenda-setting - and how these practices are enabled by public and private institutional arrangements. The findings underscore the need for closer scrutiny of initiatives and institutions that shape knowledge and discourse in ways that protect incumbent industry interests.