While my last blog ran on Election Day, I didn’t end up writing about it. Partly because there had already been so much election-related coverage — did anyone need one more take? — and partly because the Alliance didn’t have much stake in the game as an apolitical organization. We don’t lobby, but we do keep an eye on state and federal legislation that could affect animal agriculture, such as restrictions on production methods, farm protection legislation and meat labeling laws. While our day-to-day operations don’t involve much interaction with the executive branch of government, a change is indeed coming that I’m certain will lead to impacts on us as well as everyone else in animal agriculture.

One sign that the meat industry and animal agriculture need to be ready for changes under the new administration is the lineup of the recently-announced USDA transition team. There does not seem to be anyone with a modern agriculture background on the list. Of most concern to me is the inclusion of a staff member from The Good Food Institute, an organization that has clearly decided that meat, poultry, eggs and dairy do not qualify as “good food.”

GFI began as a “sister organization” to extreme animal rights activist group Mercy for Animals with former PETA leader Bruce Friedrich at the helm (note that his affiliation with PETA is left off of his bio on the GFI website). The organization works to promote “cultivated meat” and plant-based alternatives to animal products, which they claim to be “more delicious, safer to eat and better for the planet than their outdated counterparts.”

The inclusion of someone from an organization with such a decidedly negative viewpoint on meat combined with the major emphasis the administration seems to be placing on climate change (which, however misguided, tends to come along with negative messaging toward meat), raises some concerns for meat and animal agriculture. While it does not appear that any of the administration’s plans call for encouraging reduced consumption of meat, activist groups and political opponents have latched on to previous comments made by Harris regarding the Dietary Guidelines to say that the Biden-Harris team will “cut America’s meat.”

While I think it’s highly unlikely that the new administration will make taking meat off the plate a priority, I do believe it is fair to say it might be harder for modern, large-scale animal agriculture and the meat industry to get a seat at the table for the next four years. That means that rolling up our sleeves and looking to engage with influencers (including newly elected officials) to help them understand what we do and how their decisions affect us is essential. After the past few months, the food industry is at the top of everyone’s minds. Let’s take advantage of that and make sure our viewpoints remain part of the conversation.

Meat replacement group leader tapped for USDA transition team

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