Graduation Year
2025
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Public Policy Analysis
Second Department
Environmental Analysis
Reader 1
Heather L. Williams
Reader 2
Sean Diament
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2025 Hannah Hughes
Abstract
This thesis examines how large-scale animal agriculture operations exercise disproportionate political influence to shape regulatory policy in their favor, often at the expense of environmental protection and public health. Through analysis of concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), this study demonstrates how the animal agribusiness industry has systematically captured regulatory processes at federal, state, and local levels. The research traces industrial animal agriculture's development in the 21st century and its environmental consequences. The analysis reveals significant gaps in federal oversight, examining how the Clean Water Act and Clean Air Act have proven inadequate in regulating CAFO operations. At the state level, the thesis explores moratorium battles in North Carolina and Oregon, illustrating how industry influence shapes policy outcomes despite mounting environmental concerns.
Additionally, the study investigates sub-state conflicts, including legal challenges against corporations like Smithfield Foods, attorney general lawsuits, and local public health ordinances. These case studies reveal the multi-layered nature of regulatory capture and the industry's sophisticated strategies for maintaining political influence. The thesis concludes by examining three potential futures: maintaining the status quo, further intensification of industrial agriculture, and alternative pathways toward more sustainable food systems. This research contributes to understanding how powerful economic interests undermine democratic governance and environmental protection while offering insights into potential reforms for more effective agricultural regulation.
Recommended Citation
Hughes, Hannah, "From Feedlot to Floor Vote: How Animal Agribusiness Wields Power to Capture the American State" (2025). Pomona Senior Theses. 355.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/pomona_theses/355
