Background

Emerging Ag Inc. is a Canada-based global consulting firm focused on food and agriculture. Founded in 2011 and based in Calgary, Alberta, Emerging Ag has more than 30 employees worldwide and has an international client base.¹“Emerging ag inc.,” LinkedIn. Archived December 18, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. ²“Robynne Anderson,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived October 22, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/3o3hJ Emerging Ag defines itself as “a boutique international consulting firm” with a focus on agriculture, food, and health within a global policy context.³“Who we are,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived February 10, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/vMnFk

Emerging Ag lists its primary services as communications, public affairs, and building sustainability plans.⁴“Services,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived March 17, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/1j4Oc Emerging Ag’s clients include voluntary initiatives and trade associations representing the largest meat and dairy companies, including the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, which represents the world’s largest meat company, JBS, and the Global Dairy Platform, which represents dairy giants such as Nestlé and Fonterra. 

The livestock industry is a significant contributor to human-made climate change, accounting for 32 percent of global emissions and approximately one-third of global warming to date.⁵Global Methane Assessment,” Climate and Clean Air Coalition and United Nations Environment Programme, 2021. Archived June 12, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. To avoid dangerous global warming, scientists have said we need to reduce methane emissions by 40-45 percent by 2030, primarily through dietary changes.⁶ Reisinger et al., “How necessary and feasible are reductions of methane emissions from livestock to support stringent temperature goals?,” Royal Society. Archived July 28, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. ⁷“Global Methane Assessment,” Climate and Clean Air Coalition and United Nations Environment Programme, 2021. Archived June 12, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog However, Emerging Ag clients have consistently advocated for policies that will not meet climate goals, such as “climate-smart” agriculture and carbon sequestration in soils, which research has suggested is limited in its ability to counteract the livestock industry’s emissions.⁸Reisinger et al., “How necessary and feasible are reductions of methane emissions from livestock to support stringent temperature goals?,” Royal Society. Archived July 28, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. ⁹Rachel Sherrington. “Big Agriculture Casts Itself as Climate Champion Ahead of COP27,” DeSmog, October 6, 2022. Despite scientific consensus on climate change and methane’s role in fueling the problem, methane emissions continue to rise, not fall, at record speeds over recent years.¹⁰“Methane emissions are rising faster than ever,” Stanford Report, September 9, 2024. Archived September 10, 2024. Archive URL: http://archive.today/WEe1o Furthermore, intense lobbying from the sector has stalled action from governments around the globe.¹¹Susannah Savage, Alice Hancock, and Michael Pooler. “The Global Power of Big Agriculture’s lobbying,” Financial Times, August 21, 2024. Archive December 1, 2024. Archive URL: http://archive.today/bJ5E1

Stance on Climate Change

The week before  COP30, held in November 2025 in Belém, Brazil, Emerging Ag posted on its website a video of its CEO, Robynne Anderson, asking for climate resilience to be a priority at the event. “The entire biome of our planet is affected by climate change,” she said. “Whether we’re talking about our beautiful trees and forests or whether we’re talking about soil health or the state of our oceans, understanding the biodiversity of the planet and how it ties into climate is going to be essential to advancing our resilience.”¹²Robynne Anderson. “Blog: Climate Resilience: A Defining Priority for COP30,” Emerging Ag Inc., November 3, 2025. Archived November 20, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Bn6Is ¹³“Climate Resilience: A Defining Priority for COP30,” Emerging Ag Inc. YouTube account. Archived November 18, 2025. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

However, as of November 2025, Emerging Ag lacks formal climate commitments, such as a net-zero target or a commitment not to work with highly-emitting clients.

Instead, the firm offers clients—including some of the world’s largest emitters—services to bolster their “sustainability strategies.”¹⁴“Food,” Emerging Ag Inc., Archived December 1, 2022. Archived URL: http://archive.today/bfBy6

In blog posts, Robynne Anderson, Emerging Ag’s founder and president, has made certain calls toward specific climate goals, such as revitalizing climate finance, prioritizing soil health, Inclusion of Agriculture in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and building more extreme-weather-resilient food systems.¹⁵“COP29: Tackling Climate Change,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived January 13, 2025. Archived URL: http://archive.today/SViz7 She praised more COP attention on food systems and the COP28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action.¹⁶ “COP28 Elevates Agri-Food Systems on the Climate Agenda,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived March 1, 2024. Archived URL: http://archive.today/HYbbU

Key People

Before founding EA, Robynne Anderson served as Communications Director at CropLife, which lobbied on behalf of the biotech, seed, and pesticide industries.²¹ “Gates Foundation Hired PR Firm to Manipulate UN Over Gene Drives,” Independent Science News. Archived August 6, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/rd6LB

Clients

Global Dairy Platform (GDP)

Global Dairy Platform (GDP) is a dairy industry group that advocates for dairy consumption and farming. Its membership comprises mainly the world’s largest dairy companies, including New Zealand’s Fonterra, France’s Danone, and the United States’ Land O’Lakes.³⁰“About Us,” Global Dairy Platform. Archived July 19, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/wcl0a Other GDP members include dairy trade associations such as the Dairy Farmers of America and the International Dairy Federation.³¹“About Us,” Global Dairy Platform. Archived July 19, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/wcl0a GDP also produces research that pushes the industry’s agenda. This research obscures or minimizes the dairy sector’s climate impact and makes the claim that the dairy industry has a role in bolstering a “sustainable” diet and promotes cattle health as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.³²“The Role of Dairy in Sustainable Diets,” Global Dairy Platform, August 23, 2018. Archived August 15, 2020. Archive URL: http://archive.today/wLUfQ ³³“IMPROVED CATTLE HEALTH CAN REDUCE GHG’S,” Global Dairy Platform. Archived October 21, 2020. Archive URL: http://archive.today/s7pWu

Emerging Ag has been working with the Global Dairy Platform (GDP) since at least 2017, providing annual support for its World Milk Day (WMD) campaign through 2025.³⁴“World Milk Day 2025 Report: Toasting to Dairy’s Power and Promise,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived November 5, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

WMD, which is celebrated each year on June 1, was founded by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 2001 and is managed by the Global Dairy Platform. Emerging Ag frames its work for World Milk Day and GDP as helping coordinate efforts across the dairy industry that “encourage the appropriate intake of nutrient-rich dairy foods and demonstrate the sector’s role in sustainable agriculture.³⁵“World Milk Day,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived September 27, 2021. Archive URL: http://archive.today/bPv2C ³⁶“World Milk Day, June 1, 2025: Let’s Celebrate the Power of Dairy,” WorldMilkDay.org. Archived August 15, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/ZhOrc A precise definition of sustainable agriculture is not articulated on Emerging Ag’s website. In WMD’s own literature, it describes its campaign as showing how milk is “vital” and nutritious.³⁷“World Milk Day, June 1, 2025: Let’s Celebrate the Power of Dairy,” WorldMilkDay.org. Archived August 15, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/ZhOrc For example, the theme of 2025’s World Milk Day was “Let’s Celebrate the Power of Dairy,” which honored the supposed way dairy helps “people, economies, and the planet.”³⁸“World Milk Day, June 1, 2025: Let’s Celebrate the Power of Dairy,” WorldMilkDay.org. Archived August 15, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/ZhOrc It broke visibility records, reaching 1.25 billion people and rendering 2.75 million engagements, which was more than double the previous year’s numbers.³⁹“World Milk Day 2025 Report: Toasting to Dairy’s Power and Promise,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived November 5, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Across the globe, there were a myriad of different events. For example, at an event in Brazil, the state of Espírito Santo announced it would double its dairy production by 2032, whilst “encouraging environmentally responsible practices.”⁴⁰(Translated using Google Translate from Portuguese) “Estado do Espírito Santo marca o Dia Mundial do Leite com metas para duplicar a produção até 2032”, Montanhas Capixabas, 6 de fevereiro de 2025. Archived November 18, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/KXhzm Emerging Ag fueled the impact of the 2025 WMD campaign through digital campaigns and promotional materials describing milk as a crucial food both nutritionally and environmentally.⁴¹“World Milk Day 2025, Full Report,” World Milk Day 2025. Archived November 7, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Mn5NE. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Official World Milk Day social media posts also emphasize how dairy producers are working to mitigate the environmental harm of dairy farming.⁴²“Telling Dairy’s Story,” World Milk Day. Archived August 11, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/sWPeA For example, WMD promotes the “Pathways to Dairy Net Zero” campaign, which claims to want to reduce dairy emissions over the next 30 years. This campaign made its debut in 2021, ahead of the United Nations Food Systems Summit and then at COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland. Despite the campaign’s climate-focused title, a DeSmog analysis found that “Pathways to Dairy Net Zero” campaign broadly pushes industrial-scale dairy interests. Any group can become a “supporter” of the campaign without committing to cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Instead, the campaign calls for making dairy production more “efficient” by using fewer resources to feed cows, a move the DeSmog analysis characterized as a corporate greenwashing scheme.⁴³Alex Park. “Revealed: How Big Dairy Is Milking Net Zero,” DeSmog, September 15, 2023. Emerging Ag promoted the “Pathways to Dairy Net Zero” campaign,  promoting a virtual event focused on the topic at Climate Week NYC 2023.⁴⁴“Blog: Pathways to Dairy Net Zero: Accelerating Action, Achieving Results,” Emerging Ag Inc., September 7, 2023. Archived September 25, 2023. Archive URL: http://archive.today/IMwrz

Following World Milk Day in June 2025, Greenpeace accused dairy giants of greenwashing, specifically through WMD.⁴⁵“Greenpeace accuses global dairy giants of greenwashing and climate deception,” Greenpeace, June 5, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/ppqxr Mocking the WMD logo, Greenpeace Nordic launched a website devoted specifically to debunking greenwashing claims by big dairy.⁴⁶“Milkwash nominees!” Greenpeace. Archived August 3, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Isilb

In June 2024, World Milk Day focused on showing how dairy farmers are “delivering nutritious and sustainably made dairy products.”⁴⁷“2024 Year in Review,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived December 16, 2024. Archive URL: http://archive.today/hRSIE Emerging Ag described the strategies it used to boost the event, including “with farmer videos, in-person events, farm tours, virtual campaigns, and new partnerships.”⁴⁸“2024 Year in Review,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived December 16, 2024. Archive URL: http://archive.today/hRSIE Some of the farmer videos feature dairy farmers describing the practices they have adopted to reduce emissions, such as using energy-efficient products and recycling production materials to “help [them] make more milk on less.”⁴⁹“#WorldMilkDay 2024: Josh Snider, Dairy Farmer, USA,” Global Dairy Platform YouTube account, May 31, 2024. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

In June 2023, the World Milk Day event “had a clear focus: to showcase how dairy is reducing its environmental footprint, while simultaneously providing nutritious food and sustainable livelihoods.”⁵⁰“WORLD MILK DAY 2023 HIGHLIGHTS,” World Milk Day 2023. Archived November 9, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/scdEe Emerging Ag coordinated the day’s social media campaign on behalf of GDP.⁵¹“Blog: World Milk Day 2023 Celebrations Coming Up!,” Emerging Ag Inc., February 24, 2023. Archived April 1, 2023. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Yvotp Videos were produced showing the practices used by farmers to purportedly improve sustainability. In one video, a farmer claims that dairy farming “is a fundamental part of sustainable food systems.” The footage frames cows as environmentally beneficial, saying that cows can digest things that humans can’t, “upcycle” waste products, and provide manure.⁵²“#WorldMilkDay: Sustainable Dairy Farming, Gina Gutierrez, Mexico,” Global Dairy Platform YouTube account, May 16, 2023. Archived .mp4 on file at DeSmog.

On social media, members of various governments around the world posted in honor of World Milk Day, including representatives from Australia, Canada, Colombia, France, India, Kenya, Mexico, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States.⁵³“WORLD MILK DAY 2023 HIGHLIGHTS,” World Milk Day 2023. Archived November 9, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/scdEe The International Livestock Research Institute, another Emerging Ag client, hosted World Milk Day events across Africa, including a question-and-answer session in Nigeria focused on sustainable dairy.⁵⁴“WORLD MILK DAY 2023 HIGHLIGHTS,” World Milk Day 2023. Archived November 9, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/scdEe

Dairy UK, a British dairy trade association, posted a social media video downplaying the environmental harm of methane released by cows, describing it as a “short-lived gas” that is part of a “natural cycle.” A claim in the video states that “methane from British dairy cows should in fact have contributed to global cooling,” because the methane emissions of British cattle have fallen since 1990. The video blames global warming on the burning of fossil fuels after downplaying the environmental harm of methane released by cows.⁵⁵“Dairy UK, June 1, 2023, 10:01 AM,” Dairy UK X account, June 1, 2023. Archived November 9, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Dairy UK’s claim that British dairy cows have little impact on the climate is based on the Global Warming Potential Star (GWP*) metric and is highly misleading. This metric shows how methane breaks down faster than C02 and is favored by certain livestock lobbyists as a way to meet climate goals without reducing industrial meat and dairy production.⁵⁶Rachel Sherrington. “Industry-Backed Emissions Metric Could ‘Completely Derail’ Climate Action, Campaigners Warn,” DeSmog, December 6, 2024. GWP* has garnered criticism from climate activists for potentially disrupting efforts to reduce emissions.⁵⁷Rachel Sherrington. “Industry-Backed Emissions Metric Could ‘Completely Derail’ Climate Action, Campaigners Warn,” DeSmog, December 6, 2024.

In 2021, World Milk Day specifically focused on sustainability and future-proofing the dairy industry through adaptation.⁵⁸“ENJOY DAIRY RALLY AND WORLD MILK DAY 2021 HIGHLIGHTS,” World Milk Day. Archived June 24, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/46C0l. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Online, representatives from global governments and nongovernmental organizations, including the CGIAR Research Program on Livestock, the International Livestock Research Institute, and various Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations offices, posted in celebration of WMD. Some of the events which focused on sustainability included webinars in Chile, advertising campaigns in France, newspaper ads in Mexico, and online quizzes in the Netherlands.⁵⁹“ENJOY DAIRY RALLY AND WORLD MILK DAY 2021 HIGHLIGHTS,” World Milk Day. Archived June 24, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/46C0l. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

From 2017 (the year Emerging Ag started working with GDP) up until 2021, sustainability features less prominently in WMD activities, according to its annual reports.

Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB)

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (GRSB), an Emerging Ag client since 2022, is an initiative comprised of beef industry stakeholders such as livestock companies, meat retailers, trade groups, NGOs, government agencies, and research institutes.⁶⁰“Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef,” DeSmog. For example, its members include JBS, the world’s largest meat supplier, Tyson Foods, McDonald’s, and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), which has aggressively lobbied against both attempts to regulate livestock emissions and attempts to require the beef industry to report its emissions.⁶¹“Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef,” DeSmog. ⁶²“JBS,” DeSmog. ⁶³“National Cattlemen’s Beef Association,” DeSmog.

The Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef was founded in 2012, following a 2006 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations report that drew increased attention to the meat industry’s contribution to climate change.⁶⁴“Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef,” DeSmog. GRSB says that it is working to make the industry more sustainable; however, it rejects the scientific imperative⁶⁵Harwatt et al., “Options for a Paris-Compliant Livestock Sector,” 2024. Harvard Law School Animal Law and Policy Program. Archived July 22, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. to reduce meat consumption and attacks the 2020 United Nations’ #ActNow campaign, which called on people to eat more plant-based foods to lessen their carbon footprints.⁶⁶Executive Director’s Message,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, August 11, 2025. Archived July 25, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/7aUuP ⁶⁷“Facts and Figures: Here’s where every one of us can make a difference: Food,” UN Act Now. Archived July 16, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Emerging Ag’s relationship with GRSB is relatively clandestine and not featured on its website, unlike many of its other clients, even those in the meat and dairy industries. Despite this secrecy, internal documents obtained by DeSmog reveal details of their relationship.

According to these documents, the Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef and Emerging Ag began working together in 2022. Since then, a significant focus of the relationship has been on Emerging Ag’s support in helping GRSB prepare for various COPs. According to the minutes from a GRSB Executive Committee meeting held in March 2022, a representative from the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association recommended Emering Ag’s Robynne Anderson as someone who could help GRSB participate in COP27, adding that participating in the event is “necessary” and will help GRSB gain a global profile.⁶⁸“MINUTES: GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING MARCH 8, 2022,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. COP27 in Egypt was the first COP to highlight food and include a dedicated “food day” prominently.⁶⁹“Martha Hodgkins. “COP 27 Q&A: FOOD SYSTEMS & AGRICULTURE IN A TIME OF GLOBAL CRISIS,” United Nations Foundation, November 1, 2022. Archived August 9, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/7PG0b

Following this recommendation, Emerging Ag formerly established a working relationship with GRSB, providing services in the lead-up to COP27, including coordinating monthly working groups, drafting a position paper, providing regular updates, hosting an orientation session for GRSB members, and building relationships with key dairy industry and governmental stakeholders.⁷⁰“MINUTES GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 27, 2022,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog. ⁷¹“MINUTES GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF BOARD OF DIRECTORS AUGUST 24, 2022 Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. Ahead of the conference, GRSB said it was “heading to COP27 to tell beef’s climate story.”⁷²“Beef sustainability leaders head to COP27 to tell beef’s climate change story: GRSB conference in Denver,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived July 12, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/azhgW At COP27, Emerging Ag helped organise a side event titled “Towards Resilient, Sustainable, Transformed African Agriculture and Food Systems,” in which GRSB participated.⁷³“Blog: Resilient and Sustainable African Agriculture and Food Systems,” Emerging Ag, Inc., December 14, 2022. Archived April 21, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Zl7zT

From 2022 through at least 2024, Emerging Ag continued to work for GRSB. In 2023, GRSB paid Emerging Ag $30,000 to advise GRSB on how to prepare for COP28.⁷⁴“MINUTES GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 26, 2023,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In the Executive Committee Minutes from August 2023, GRSB’s Executive Director, Ruaraidh Petre, reported that “while climate progress is less than encouraging with CoP, [sic] it is important to always be at the table for the conversation.” This document also noted that Emerging Ag has helped the group with other UN processes, in addition to COP.⁷⁵“MINUTES: GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING AUGUST 8, 2023,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf of file at DeSmog. At COP28 in November, Emerging Ag helped organise side events.⁷⁶“MINUTES GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 7, 2023,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

In 2024, Emerging Ag helped GRSB prepare for multilateral events such as the Bonn Climate Change Conference, NY Climate Week, the Private Sector Mechanism of the Committee for Food Security, and a February OECD meeting on the link between leather production and deforestation.⁷⁷“MINUTES GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF BOARD OF DIRECTORS JANUARY 24, 2024,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog. 2024 Annual Report” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog. It also helped with a webinar centering “livestock solutions” that was held following COP28.⁷⁸“MINUTES GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF BOARD OF DIRECTORS JANUARY 24, 2024,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog.

In the lead-up to COP29, Emerging Ag helped GRSB emphasize “the important role of livestock in a sustainable food system.”⁷⁹ “MINUTES GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE FOR SUSTAINABLE BEEF BOARD OF DIRECTORS APRIL 24, 2024,” Global Roundtable for Sustainable Beef. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Emerging Ag has worked for the Gates Foundation since at least 2017, specifically to promote the concept of gene drive. In 2017, Emerging Ag was paid $1.6 million by the foundation for this work.⁸⁰Jonathan Latham. “Gates Foundation Hired PR Firm to Manipulate UN Over Gene Drives,” Independent Science News, December 4, 2017. Archived August 6, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/rd6LB

Gene drive is a controversial genetic engineering technology that encourages selected genetic traits to spread rapidly through a species through sexual reproduction. For example, modifying the genetic traits of mosquitoes so that it is harder for them to reproduce.⁸¹George Church, Faculty Lead. “Gene Drives: Genetic interventions for controlling pest or disease-carrying organisms and invasive species in the wild,” Wyss Institute, Harvard University. Archived February 2, 2019. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Ktw7n

Proponents often argue that gene drive technology can combat vector-borne diseases like malaria or control invasive species.⁸²“Building the Safe Genes Toolkit,” DARPA. Archived February 6, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/N6YAS

Gene drive technology is controversial because it raises numerous ethical and ecological questions, with the potential for a few scientists to disrupt or eliminate entire species and ecosystems irrevocably.⁸³Mitch Leslie. “Controversial ‘gene-drive’ strategy could make mosquitoes hostile to malaria parasites,” Science, July 23, 2025. Archived July 25, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/XhZFP Critics at Friends of Earth, an environmental advocacy organization, say the philanthropic energy behind gene drive is driven by potential benefits to agribusiness in the future.⁸⁴Dana Perls. “Permanently changing a species: What could go wrong?,” Friends of the Earth, June 8, 2016. Archived June 21, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Px1Y3

As the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) worked to formalize recommendations on gene drive in 2017, Jonathan Latham of science-focused news outlet Independent Science News argued that Emerging Ag built a cohort of academics to “manipulate” the UN decision-making process on gene drives. Based on emails obtained through a FOIA request by Independent Science News, the Gates Foundation wanted Emerging Ag to “fight back against gene drive moratorium proponents.”⁸⁵Jonathan Latham. “Gates Foundation Hired PR Firm to Manipulate UN Over Gene Drives,” Independent Science News, December 4, 2017. Archived August 6, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/rd6LB

In May 2020, Emerging Ag received a 3-year-long $2.5 million grant to raise awareness of how gene drive technology could potentially be used to combat malaria in Africa.⁸⁶“Emerging Ag Inc.,” Gates Foundation: Committed Grants. Archived September 7, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/Ea7D6

In September of 2020, critics complained the Gates Foundation was hijacking the International Union for Conservation of Nature to push its gene drive agenda.⁸⁷“Has the synthetic biology industry hijacked IUCN?,” Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC) Group, September 3, 2020. Archived September 21, 2020. Archive URL: http://archive.today/cK42i

Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research

Emerging Ag serves as the Secretariat of the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research, an organization founded in 2019 that aims to raise awareness about the potential benefits of gene drive technology.⁸⁸“Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research,” Emerging Ag Inc., Archived December 10, 2022. Archive URL: http://archive.today/L1FVt The Gates Foundation and Target Malaria, both of which are Emerging Ag clients, are members of the network.⁸⁹“About Us,” Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research. Archived October 24, 2020. Archive URL: http://archive.today/MWcGo Almost all members of the network, and the network itself, receive funding from the Gates Foundation.⁹⁰Zahra Moloo and Jim Thomas, ETC Group. “DRIVEN TO EXTERMINATE: HOW BILL GATES BROUGHT GENE DRIVE EXTINCTION TECHNOLOGY INTO THE WORLD,” Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC) Group. Archived October 29, 2020. Archived .pdf available at DeSmog. page 186 (9/10) ⁹¹“About Us,” Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research. Archived October 24, 2020. Archive URL: http://archive.today/MWcGo

Emerging Ag and the Outreach Network work to influence multilateral discussions around gene drive governance, such as events like the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the International Society of Bio-safety Research, the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance, the Asia Pacific Malaria Elimination Network, the Pan-African Mosquito Control Association (PAMCA), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.⁹²“Blog: Highlights of 2023 for the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research,” Emerging Ag Inc., February 16, 2024. Archived July 22, 2024. Archive URL: http://archive.today/ofqxj 

Nutrien; Fertilizer Canada

Emerging Ag has worked with the fertilizer company Nutrien since at least 2023, when Emerging Ag helped the company prepare for COP28.⁹³“Has the synthetic biology industry hijacked IUCN?,” Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC) Group, September 3, 2020. Archived September 21, 2020. Archive URL: http://archive.today/cK42i ⁹⁴Rachel Sherrington, Clare Carlile, and Hazel Healy. “Mapped: Big Ag’s Routes to Influence at COP28,” DeSmog, December 1, 2023.

Emerging Ag has also worked with Fertilizer Canada, an industry group supporting the nitrogen, phosphate, potash, and sulphur fertilizers sector.⁹⁵Robynne Anderson. “A Glimpse into Emerging ag,” Emerging Ag Inc., April 22, 2025. Archived May 12, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/H4Ott Emerging Ag has worked with  Fertilizer Canada since at least 2014, when it helped coordinate the group’s first annual International Stewardship Symposium.⁹⁶“About,” Fertilizer Canada. Archived October 09, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/qo6dS At the second event held in 2015, speakers emphasized that agriculture must “produce more with less environmental impact.”⁹⁷“Fertilizer Canada,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived November 28, 2023. Archive URL: http://archive.today/ENhgn

The “more with less” argument is an argument heavily promoted by the pesticide and fertilizer industries. “More with less” or “sustainable intensification” claims that industrial agriculture can continue to grow rapidly to increase crop yields and help combat global hunger.⁹⁸“Fertilizer Canada,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived November 28, 2023. Archive URL: http://archive.today/ENhgn However, more than one-third of all crops go to animal feed, supporting meat-heavy diets in wealthy countries, and critics say this effort misuses social justice language to promote corporate interests.⁹⁹Rachel Sherrington and Hazel Healy. “A Guide to Six Greenwashing Terms Big Ag Is Bringing to COP28,” DeSmog, September 21, 2023.

Contact & Address

720 13th Avenue
Calgary, Alberta T2R 1M5, CA¹⁰⁰Rachel Sherrington and Hazel Healy. “A Guide to Six Greenwashing Terms Big Ag Is Bringing to COP28,” DeSmog, September 21, 2023.

Social Media

LinkedIn: Emerging ag inc.
X: @Robynne_A (linked on the firm’s website)

Resources

• 1
  “Emerging ag inc.,” LinkedIn. Archived December 18, 2024. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
• 2
  “Robynne Anderson,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived October 22, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/3o3hJ
• 3
  “Who we are,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived February 10, 2025. Archive URL: https://archive.ph/vMnFk
• 4
  “Services,” Emerging Ag Inc. Archived March 17, 2025. Archive URL: http://archive.today/1j4Oc
• 5
  Global Methane Assessment,” Climate and Clean Air Coalition and United Nations Environment Programme, 2021. Archived June 12, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
• 6
   Reisinger et al., “How necessary and feasible are reductions of methane emissions from livestock to support stringent temperature goals?,” Royal Society. Archived July 28, 2025. Archived .pdf on file at DeSmog.
• 7
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• 8
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