COP30 Under Spotlight as 300 Agriculture Lobbyists Attend, Says Report

More than 300 lobbyists from the industrial agriculture sector are taking part in the ongoing UN climate summit in Brazil’s Amazon, even as the industry remains the largest driver of global deforestation.

A joint investigation by DeSmog and The Guardian found that representatives of industrial cattle farming, grain commodities and pesticide companies at COP30 in Belém have increased by 14% compared to last year’s summit in Baku. Their number is also larger than the official delegation of Canada, which sent 220 delegates to the talks.

The report reveals that one in four of these agriculture lobbyists are included within official country delegations, giving some of them privileged access to negotiations despite their role in activities that contribute significantly to climate change.

Scientists say that rapid changes in how food is produced and consumed are essential to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement, as the agriculture sector currently accounts for 25–33% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Vandria Borari from the Borari Kuximawara Indigenous Association condemned the heavy presence of agribusiness at the summit.

“More than 300 agribusiness lobbyists occupy the space at COP30 that should belong to forest peoples. While they talk about energy transition, they release oil into the Amazon’s basin and privatize rivers like the Tapajós for soy. This is not development — it is violence,” she said.

The findings come amid growing frustration over the influence of corporations that profit from fossil fuels and environmental destruction. According to The Guardian, the industrial food sector has openly welcomed the lack of binding commitments at recent climate summits on reducing emissions, fossil fuel dependence or meat consumption.

A 2020 study warned that even a complete end to fossil fuels would not be enough to limit global heating to 1.5°C, as emissions from the food system alone could breach that threshold.

Another study cited by The Guardian, conducted by Friends of the Earth US, found that emissions from the 45 largest meat and dairy companies are comparable to those of Saudi Arabia. JBS, the world’s largest meat producer — responsible for 24% of those emissions — has eight lobbyists at COP30, including CEO Gilberto Tomazoni.

Lidy Nacpil of the Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development said the findings show how deeply agribusiness has entrenched itself in the climate process. “COP will never deliver real climate action as long as industry lobbyists are allowed to influence governments and negotiators,” she said.