Grupos de presión, discurso y orientaciones alimentarias. El caso de la industria láctea europea.

The general objective of this research is to study the discourse of the European Dairy Industry (EDI) lobbyists from a non speciesist perspective. To achieve this, the EDI was examined as an economic and influential actor, through a political economy analysis, in order to identify the main companies and pressure groups, their links and their numbers. Then the discourse that the interest groups construct with respect to 1) the animals that the industry exploits and 2) to the nutritional recommendations that end up in the dietary guidelines, was analyzed through documentary analysis and critical discourse analysis. Interviews with experts and members of the industry and the interest groups were carried as well, to support and guide the discourse analysis.

It is concluded that the dairy industry constitutes an economic and corporate framework that dedicates a great effort to exert influence on food recommendations. Its interest groups have formed and sustain coalitions and networks with interrelations and investments in lobbying that are much more complex and abundant that the ones from interest groups doing advocacy for the animals. The critical discourse analysis shows, amongst other things, that the EDI interest groups have adapted their narrative to the current values of concern for science, health and even animal welfare, while contradicting them.