Urgent : Monsanto & CropLife men have no place in government

November 3, 2009

Despite campaign promises to the contrary, President Obama has nominated to two

key posts 'Big Agra' industry insiders who come straight from the chemical

pesticide and biotechnology sectors.

* Islam Siddiqui -- current VP of science and regulatory affairs at

CropLife, and a former lobbyist -- has been nominated to the critical post of

U.S. Chief Agricultural Negotiator. This position will enable him to keep

pushing chemical pesticides, inappropriate biotechnologies, and unfair trade

arrangements on nations that do not want and can least afford them.

* Beachy -- long-time head of Monsanto's defacto nonprofit research

arm -- has been installed as director of the USDAs newly created National

Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). This office comes with a $500 million

budget, and therein control over the U.S. ag research agenda for years to come.

We need 50,000 signatures! To make this kind of impact, PAN is joining a broad

coalition of partner groups from around the country in mobilizing to block

Siddiqui's nomination. We join National Family Farm Coalition, Food & Water

Watch, Farmworker's Association of Florida, Institute for Agriculture & Trade

Policy, Food Democracy Now!, Greenpeace, and Center for Food Safety in calling

on President Obama to live up to his promises.

Your name will be added to the following petition, which ends:

" As parents, farmers, advocates, scientists and people who eat food, we remember

your promise on the campaign trail: We'll tell ConAgra that it's not the

Department of Agribusiness. It's the Department of Agriculture. We're going to

put the people's interests ahead of the special interests.' We, the

undersigned, are writing to hold you to that promise. "

See the petition at :

Recommended Posts