Industry capture can happen when a regulator has too few resources and relies on industry analysis of studies on a product up for review. It can happen when the culture of the government agency is to support industry and ensure speedy approvals. It can happen because Industry has paid lobbyists who spend a lot of time calling and meeting with regulators to push their products.
Most often it takes a court case or an investigative journalist to find the evidence for the interference. Day to day, people can only wonder when a regulator makes a decision that is questionable and detrimental to people and wildlife.
Episode seven is a case study in how a Canadian scientist had her work dismissed and discredited by a collaboration between the regulator and the industry wanting to prevent its product from being banned. This is episode seven, The Birds and the Bees.
","author_name":"Canada's National Observer"}