President Obama knows that agribusiness cannot be trusted with the policy and regulatory powers of government. On the campaign trail in 2007, he promised:
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.
But, starting with his choice for USDA Secretary, the pro-biotech former governor of Iowa, Tom Vilsack, President Obama has let Monsanto, Dupont and the other pesticide and genetic engineering companies know they'll have plenty of friends and supporters within his administration.
President Obama has taken his team of food and farming leaders directly from the biotech companies and their lobbying, research, and philanthropic arms.
Michael Taylor, former Monsanto Vice President, is now the FDA Deputy Commissioner for Foods.
Roger Beachy, former director of the Monsanto-funded Danforth Plant Science Center, is now the director of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
Islam Siddiqui, Vice President of the Monsanto and Dupont-funded pesticide-promoting lobbying group, CropLife, is now the Agriculture Negotiator for the US Trade Representative.
Rajiv Shah, former agricultural-development director for the pro-biotech Gates Foundation (a frequent Monsanto partner), served as Obama's USDA Under Secretary for Research Education and Economics and Chief Scientist and is now head of USAID.
Solicitor General Elena Kagan, who took Monsanto's side against organic farmers in the Roundup Ready alfalfa case, has been nominated to the Supreme Court.
Now, Ramona Romero, corporate counsel to DuPont, has been nominated by President Obama to serve as General Counsel for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
DuPont's lengthy record of lies, crimes and misdeeds are well known, and the company's efforts to deceive the public and cover-up risks of its products continue to this day.
Corporate Crime Daily reports:
DuPont brought genetically engineered "Bt" crops to market, despite concerns raised by scientists, environmentalists and organic growers who noted that the Bt crops threaten to destroy the usefulness of Bt sprays, valued by many as the world's safest and most important biological pesticide.
Genetically engineered Bt is not the same as the long-used Bt sprays. It is an activated, high-dose toxin. DuPont claims its Bt products are safe, but there is evidence that Bt crops can trigger allergies and there have been many reports of sickness and death in animals exposed to Bt crops.
Installing a DuPont lawyer at the USDA would create a terrible conflict that would no doubt be resolved in favor of this powerful company rather than the people's interest in food safety, public health and environmental sustainability.
President Obama should stand by his promise, and withdraw his nomination of Ramona Romero, or the Senate should refuse to confirm it. This would be a positive step in turning the Department of Agribusiness back into the Department of Agriculture.
Click here to write to President Obama and the Senate.
Follow Ronnie Cummins on Twitter: www.twitter.com/OrganicConsumer
Business go where there are profits to be made in sectors they are already comfortable with. That's why Big Agra owns most of the big organic food producers. That's why Big Pharma owns and makes a lot of the ingredients and finished product for the supplements industry.
Unless you can show that Monsanto is buying organic seed companies and shutting them down, I don't see that this will make any difference, except to Monsanto's profits.
Oil spill = no sea food!...Oil moves inland and compromises farming land......farmers paid to flood land to save the birds = no crops and no grazing land
Where is the food going to come from then? Guess who!
You should be questioning the effects of eating GMO because if these lunatics are allowed to carry on you will have no choice what you eat...Wakey Wakey!
To benefit really big businesses that donate hugely to his campaign?
He appointed a Secretary that is incompetent as an administrator and is going out of his way to benefit those large corporations?
Shocking. Just shocking.
Or, maybe not. Just the Obama modus operandi.
Whatever will most benefit big companies and least benefit the average taxpayer.
Haven't you got the idea yet?
Team Obama has one mission, take from the poor and give to the rich.