Invited paper The societal role of meat and livestock: a need for scientific accountability and good communication

Abstract

We explore the evolving societal role of meat and livestock, emphasizing a critical need for rigor, transparency, and communication in a polarized global discussion. We draw from proceedings of the 2022 Dublin and 2024 Denver International Summits, which united international experts from over 20 countries to examine the intersection of science with public health, environmental sustainability, societal values, and communication practices related to livestock and meat. With over 1,200 scientists now endorsing the Dublin Declaration, evidence supports that livestock systems provide essential contributions to nutrition, ecosystems, livelihoods, and cultures. Currently, tension exists in society as scientists attempt to inform policy development, suggesting that a renewed commitment to objectivity, integrity, convergence of results, rigor, and communication are needed. In cases, science is being manipulated by activism. Science is the systematic pursuit of new knowledge and/or the existing body of knowledge. Activism attempts to undermine society’s understanding of science. Differing types of science, reproducibility, and ethical standards behavior remain important in the quest for new evidence regarding the role of livestock and meat. Misuse of agenda-driven science in global health and environmental policy, erosion of public trust due to biased or manipulated findings, and the rise of misinformation through media and social platforms are discussed. Communication is examined, with emphasis on challenges of presenting nuanced, probabilistic findings to a public that often seeks certainty but does not understand the scientific method or jargon. Through examples, the presentation reveals flaws in over-simplified or politically motivated science. It concludes by affirming roles: scientists must share objective knowledge without advocacy-based distortion, while society must safeguard the integrity of the scientific method and allow values to emerge democratically. Globally, sustained public engagement, improved science literacy, and collective responsibility are needed to ensure that science serves society, not ideology.