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80 Groups Blast US Interference in Mexico's Phaseout of Glyphosate and GM Corn
"We call on Secretary Vilsack and Trade Representative Tai, as key leaders in the new administration, to respect Mexico's decision to protect both public health and the integrity of Mexican farming."
Apr 29, 2021
A coalition of 80 U.S. agricultural, consumer, environmental, public health, and worker groups sent a letter Thursday to key figures in the Biden administration calling for them to "respect Mexico's sovereignty and refrain from interfering with its right to enact health-protective policies"--specifically, the phaseout of the herbicide glyphosate and the cultivation of genetically modified corn.
"It is completely unacceptable for U.S. public agencies to be doing the bidding of pesticide corporations like Bayer."
--Kristin Schafer, PANNA
"Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador quietly rocked the agribusiness world with his New Year's Eve decree," Timothy A. Wise of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (ITAP) noted earlier this year. "His administration sent an even stronger aftershock two weeks later, clarifying that the government would also phase out GM corn imports in three years and the ban would include not just corn for human consumption but yellow corn destined primarily for livestock."
"Mexico imports about 30% of its corn each year, overwhelmingly from the United States," Wise added. "Almost all of that is yellow corn for animal feed and industrial uses. Lopez Obrador's commitment to reducing and, by 2024, eliminating such imports reflects his administration's plan to ramp up Mexican production as part of the campaign to increase self-sufficiency in corn and other key food crops."
The groups' letter on the Mexican policies and U.S. interference--published in English (pdf) and Spanish (pdf)--is addressed to recently confirmed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai. Its lead author is Kristin Schafer, executive director of Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA).
"We call on Secretary Vilsack and Trade Representative Tai, as key leaders in the new administration, to respect Mexico's decision to protect both public health and the integrity of Mexican farming," Schafer said in a statement. "It is completely unacceptable for U.S. public agencies to be doing the bidding of pesticide corporations like Bayer, who are solely concerned with maintaining their bottom-line profits."
\u201cBREAKING: 80 orgs deliver letter to @USDA, @USTradeRep opposing U.S. interference in Mexico's glyphosate phaseout https://t.co/m7M2o4sFmB\u201d— PAN North America (@PAN North America) 1619722728
Fernando Bejarano, director of Pesticide Action Network in Mexico, explained that "we are part of the No Maize No Country Campaign, a broad coalition of peasant organizations, nonprofit NGOs, academics, and consumers which support the presidential decree and fight for food sovereignty with the agroecological transformation of agricultural systems that guarantee the right to produce and consume healthy, nutritious food, free of pesticides and transgenics."
"We reject the pressure from corporations such as Bayer-Monsanto--and their CropLife trade association--which are working in both the United States and Mexico to undermine the presidential decree that phases out the use of glyphosate and transgenic corn," Bejarano said.
The letter highlights Guardian reporting on U.S. government documents obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity through a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents revealed that CropLife America and Bayer AG--which acquired glyphosate-based herbicide developer Monsanto in 2018--worked with U.S. officials to lobby against Mexico's plans.
According to journalist Carey Gillam's mid-February report:
The emails reviewed by the Guardian come from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) and other U.S. agencies. They detail worry and frustration with Mexico's position. One email makes a reference to staff within Lopez Obrador's administration as "vocal anti-biotechnology activists," and another email states that Mexico's health agency (Cofepris) is "becoming a big time problem."
Internal USTR communications lay out how the agrochemical industry is "pushing" for the U.S. to "fold this issue" into the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal that went into effect July 1. The records then show the USTR does exactly that, telling Mexico its actions on glyphosate and genetically engineered crops raise concerns "regarding compliance" with USMCA.
Citing discussions with CropLife, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined in the effort, discussing in an inter-agency email "how we could use USMCA to work through these issues."
The Guardian also noted correspondence involving the Foreign Agricultural Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
As the letter to Vilsack and Tai points out: "This interference and pressure from the agrochemical industry is continuing. On March 22nd, industry representatives sent a letter directed to your attention as leaders of USTR and USDA, identifying Mexico's planned phaseout of glyphosate and genetically modified corn as a 'leading concern' for agribusiness interests and the pesticide industry (represented by the pesticide industry's trade group, CropLife America)."
"We strongly object to any interference by U.S. government officials or agribusiness interests in a sovereign state's right to enact policy measures to protect the health and well-being of its people," the letter states. "We urge your agencies to resist and reject these ongoing efforts."
"We welcome the administration's stated commitment to listening to the science, improving public health, protecting the environment, and limiting exposure to dangerous chemicals and pesticides, while holding polluters accountable and prioritizing environmental justice, particularly for communities of color and low-income communities," it adds. "We trust that these stated commitments, as well as your dedication to 'fairness for farmers,' extend equally to other countries and include respect for other nations' and peoples' rights to self-determination."
Other signatories to the letter include the American Sustainable Business Council, Beyond Pesticides, Center for Biological Diversity, Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace USA, Indigenous Environmental Network, ITAP, and Organic Consumers Association.
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33 Groups Urge Biden to Hold Big Tech Accountable and Keep Industry Allies Out of His Administration
"We believe that eliminating the decades-old revolving door between Silicon Valley and your administration will only help your cause."
Nov 29, 2020
Adding to the pressure that President-elect Joe Biden is under to avoid a "corporate Cabinet" and instead appoint progressives champions to his administration, Public Citizen spearheaded a letter on Monday urging the next U.S. president to steer clear of Big Tech executives, lobbyists, lawyers, and consultants.
"We believe that your administration must confront the threats posed by the monopolistic Big Tech companies that have exploited consumer privacy, threatened our democracy, stifled innovation, and profited from the pandemic."
--33 groups
The Biden administration "will need to tackle unprecedented challenges of combating Covid-19, providing economic recovery, promoting racial justice, and tackling the climate crisis," says the letter, signed by 33 groups. "Solving these challenges will require a team of advocates for working people--not the Big Tech companies that work to exploit them."
"With your historic election, and the groundbreaking mandate that Americans have thus entrusted you with, you are facing the challenge of not only rebuilding the country, but also rebuilding trust in government," the letter adds. "We believe that eliminating the decades-old revolving door between Silicon Valley and your administration will only help your cause."
The groups highlight a House Judiciary subcommittee's recent investigation of Silicon Valley, the antitrust lawsuit that the U.S. Justice Department filed against Google last month, and Pew Research Center polling that shows nearly half of Americans want to see Big Tech regulated in addition to taking aim at some companies:
Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft once promised innovation and opportunity, and while they continue to provide many remarkable products, they now represent serious threats to privacy, democracy, innovation, and Americans' economic well-being. Each of these companies have developed predatory business practices that harvest user data for profit. Over the last few years, we have seen how Facebook and Google irresponsibly wield immense influence over democratic elections, without oversight or accountability. Despite the myth that Silicon Valley is rife with entrepreneurs and small businesses capable of disrupting entire industries, these companies have killed, rather than fostered innovation. And during the worst health crisis in recent history, Amazon has taken advantage of Americans struggling with the pandemic, tripling their profit onprice gouged essential goods.
We believe that your administration must confront the threats posed by the monopolistic Big Tech companies that have exploited consumer privacy, threatened our democracy, stifled innovation, and profited from the pandemic. The time to hold these companies accountable and rein in their power is now. However, we can only bring these companies to account if you do not rely on affiliates of these very companies to make up your government.
The letter points out that the tech industry wields power in Washington, D.C. even without allies in government, noting how much companies such as Amazon and Facebook have spent on lobbying in recent years.
A Public Citizen report from last year cited in the letter found that the political action committees (PACs) of the "Big 4" technology firms--Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google--as well as their employees and lobbyists collectively spent $346 million on lobbying and campaign contributions to Congress from 2010 through 2018.
"While these companies pride themselves on being masters of innovation, they have relied on the old school approach when it comes to avoiding scrutiny and gaining influence in Washington--throw as much money at the place as they can," Public Citizen senior researcher and report author Michael Tanglis said at the time.
\u201cNew \u2014 \n\n32 progressive groups led by @Public_Citizen write to Joe Biden and ask him "to reject the influence of these corporations by committing to exclude Big Tech executives, lobbyists, lawyers and consultants from your administration."\n\n Full letter and signatories here \u2014>\u201d— Teddy Schleifer (@Teddy Schleifer) 1606764147
Along with Public Citizen, signatories of the letter to Biden include Demand Progress Education Fund, Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), Fight for the Future, Food & Water Watch, Jobs With Justice, Main Street Alliance, Make the Road New York, Open Markets Institute, Organic Consumers Association, and the Revolving Door Project.
Earlier this month, Demand Progress and the Revolving Door Project joined with a few other partners to launch the "No Corporate Cabinet" campaign, pushing Biden to exclude business insiders and industry lobbyists from his administration. The initiative's website includes a "Persons of Interest" page of potential or selected Biden appointees opposed by the organizations.
As Common Dreams reported last week, recent polling from Data for Progress, sponsored by Demand Progress, found that 68% of Americans want the U.S. Senate to block any corporate-linked nominees proposed by Biden. However, given that not all positions require congressional approval and control of the upper chamber remains uncertain, advocacy groups are maintaining pressure on the incoming president to staff his administration with those who will serve the public good.
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Six Rules for Organizing a Grassroots Regeneration Revolution
We must think, act and organize locally, while simultaneously cultivating a global vision and global solidarity.
Mar 01, 2020
Over the past five decades, as a food, natural health and environmental campaigner, anti-war organizer, human rights activist and journalist, I've had the inspiring and at times depressing opportunity to work and travel across much of the world.
Perhaps the most important lesson I've learned through my work is that people respond best to a positive, solutions-oriented message. Gloom-and-doom thinking--the kind that offers no plausible solution--doesn't generally inspire people to get involved or take action.
That doesn't mean we should downplay the seriousness of our current situation. We face unprecedented life-or-death threats. We're up against formidable political, economic and cultural obstacles. We must continue to highlight and criticize, with passion, facts and concrete examples, the bad actors, practices and policies that have brought us to the brink of a global crisis.
That said, I believe that the main obstacle we must overcome, in the U.S. and worldwide, is that many (if not most) people are locked into disempowering situations that are causing them to suffer from a pervasive sense of hopelessness. It's not that they don't want to change. But unfortunately, most people don't really believe things can change.
I disagree. I believe we can shift the global conversation on food, farming, politics, health and climate from one of hopelessness to one of hope. I believe we can empower the grassroots to rise up and take action, both individually and collectively.
In my latest book, "Grassroots Rising: A Call to Action on Food, Farming, Climate and a Green New Deal," I outline what I call "Rules for Regenerators," a roadmap for positive change. I go into each rule in-depth in my book, but here are the basics.
Rule 1: Search Out and Emphasize the Positive
In the face of global ecosystem collapse and widespread corporate and political corruption, we need to think in terms of this: The darkest hour is right before dawn. That means not losing sight of the fact that the dawn is coming--so we should focus on, and prepare for it.
Instead of dwelling on the negative, we must seek, highlight and promote positive trends and practices. On the contemporary scene, there are many signs of change and powerful countervailing trends to the degenerative status quo, not only in the U.S., but across the world.
We need to focus on these world-changing trends--not dwell on the gloom and doom.
Rule 2: Link up with People's Primary Concerns and Connect the Dots
The world is full of different people, living in different situations, with differing perspectives, passions and priorities. That means we can't take a "one-size-fits-all" approach to problem-solving.
Instead, we must integrate our green justice and regeneration messages with the specific issues and concerns that are most important to grassroots constituencies. Then lay out, in everyday language, a strategy that helps people understand that we can actually solve the problems they care about most, while solving a host of other pressing problems at the same time.
Only by starting from where people are at, and then connecting the dots, can we capture the attention and imagination of a critical mass of the global grassroots and get them started thinking about how they can participate in our new movement and new economy.
Rule 3: Stop Organizing Around Limited Single Issues
Global campaigning and activism is plagued with single-issue thinking that routinely gives rise to divided movements and fractured constituencies.
To bring about true regeneration, or even to pass sweeping new regenerative legislation like the Green New Deal, we must not be divided and fractured, but united, inclusive and holistic in our understanding of the the global crisis we face, and in our approach to problem-solving.
Too often we hear that "My issue is more important than your issue," or "My constituency or community is more oppressed than yours," or "My solution is the only solution."
That type of thinking won't get us anywhere. Our global Regeneration Movement must be built on the principle that all grassroots issues and all constituencies are important. We have to help each other recognize that the burning issues bearing down on the global body politic--climate change, poverty, unemployment, declining health, political corruption, corporate control, war and more--are the interrelated symptoms of the diseased system of degeneration.
Rule 4: Stop Pretending that Partial Solutions or Reforms Will Bring About System Change
Activists often fall into the trap of malpractice when they project partial solutions or tactics as if they are systemic solutions. One of the most alarming examples of this is the notion that 100-percent renewable energy will, in and of itself, solve the climate crisis.
This theory is both misleadingly hopeful and dangerously flawed. Renewable energy will not get us to net-zero emissions by 2030 or even 2050 unless it is accompanied by a massive drawdown (of 250-plus billion tons) of excess carbon from the atmosphere through regenerative food, farming, land use and commerce.
Both of these things--renewable energy and carbon drawdown--need to be carried out simultaneously over the next 20 years.
Similarly naive, narrow-minded thinking might lead us to believe that campaign finance reform, or the election of this or that candidate, will solve the national and international crisis of elite domination and political corruption--or that in general, change in one community or country can solve what are essentially national and global problems.
Unless we can lift our heads, connect the dots and fight for unifying systemic changes, any changes that we do make won't be sufficiently effective.
Rule 5: Act and Organize Locally, but Cultivate a Global Vision and Solidarity
If civilization is to survive, we need to rebuild healthy, organic and relocalized systems of food and farming, and repair and restore our local environments.
To do this will require regenerators to put a priority on local and regional education, action and mobilization, in our personal lives and households, as well as in the marketplace and the political arena.
At the same time, we have to inject or integrate a national and global perspective into our local grassroots work and community building. The battle against severe climate change, environmental destruction, deteriorating public health, poverty, political corruption and societal alienation will be fought and won based on what billions of us--consumers, farmers, landscape managers, public officials, business owners, students and others--do (or don't do) in our million local communities as part of a global awakening and paradigm shift.
We must think, act and organize locally, while simultaneously cultivating a global vision and global solidarity.
Rule 6: Become a Positive Example of Regeneration
The personal is political. People hear not just the overt message of what we say or write, but also our subliminal message--that is, our presence, behavior and attitude.
Only by striving to embody the principles of regeneration--hope, solidarity, creativity, hard work, joy and optimism--in our everyday lives and practices (i.e. our work, food, clothes, lifestyle and how we treat others and the environment, how we vote, spend our money, invest our savings and spend our time--will we be able to inspire those around us.
In the 1960s, when I came of age as an activist, we had a saying: "There is only one reason for becoming a revolutionary: because it is the best way to live." I believe this slogan is as relevant now as it was then.
One of the wonderful things about regeneration is that it not only is our duty and our potential salvation, but it can actually become our pleasure as well. As the farmer-poet Wendell Berry once said:
"The care of the earth is our most ancient and most worthy and, after all, our most pleasing responsibility To cherish what remains of it, and to foster its renewal, is our only legitimate hope."
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