>policy makers need to be informed to make smart policy,

Yeah, very important :)

There was a case a while ago of...I think (vague recollection - I can't track it down exactly alas ) funding for some important disease research for orange trees in California being axed unexpectedly. The agro industry was like wtf, and I remember an interview with some politician expressing regret, it was cut because they thought it was useless research, and they really strongly recommended that that sector set up some lobbying body to that there'd be a line of communication between the industry and the government.

Lobbies can be malign, but, yeah they also serve some useful purposes.