Expert Says Gov. Fails to Regulate Agribusiness

Recently, Yale Environment 360 interviewed Robert Martin, the director of a 2008 report by the Pew Commission that spotlighted the animal-welfare, environmental, and health issues that run rampant in the factory farm industry, and who also authored a follow-up report five years later that highlighted the government’s failure to institute meaningful reforms to fix these issues. Martin noted that any potential legislation that would force agribusiness to alter its farming practices or be held accountable for the waste it produces has been quashed due to the food industry’s financial sway and influential lobbying efforts. While President Obama has neglected to take action, Martin says that people can force change through being vocal and putting pressure on politicians. Quoting the chairman of the Pew Commission, he says, “A politician begins to see the light when he feels the heat.”