Thanks to Mary in QC.
Another broken promise - no lobbyists..............
Mary
Published on Friday, November 13, 2009 by Mother Jones
Obama's Pesticide-Pushing Nominee
The president taps an exec from the pesticide lobby—which slammed
Michelle Obama's organic garden—for a top agriculture post.
by Kate Sheppard
When Michelle Obama announced plans to plant an organic garden at the
White House, nearly everybody thought it was a great idea. Everybody
except for the pesticide industry. Representatives from a branch of the
industry's main trade association, CropLife America (CLA), *wrote*
<http://ttp//www.lavidalocavore.org/diary/1309> [1] to the First Lady
asking her to respect the role of "conventional agriculture;" they added
in a separate note to supporters that the thought of the White House's
chemical-free vegetables made them "shudder." But the public swipe at
the president's wife didn't stop the administration from nominating
senior CLA executive *Islam "Isi" Siddiqui*
<http://ttp//www.croplifeamerica.org/about/association-staff> [2] to a
key post: chief agricultural negotiator for the office of the US Trade
Representative (USTR). If confirmed, Siddiqui will be responsible for,
among other things, negotiating international agreements governing the
use of pesticides.
CLA is the American branch of CropLife International, a powerful global
lobby; its members include agriculture giants such as Dow AgroSciences,
Monsanto, and DuPont. Siddiqui joined the CLA in 2001 as a registered
lobbyist, and since 2003 has served as its vice president of science and
regulatory affairs. In that position, he's played a critical role in
setting CLA’s domestic and international agenda.
[(Photo by flickr user jekrub used under a Creative Commons
license)](Photo by flickr user jekrub used under a Creative Commons license)
Chiding Michelle Obama for not using "crop protection products" in her
garden is one of the milder tactics CLA has deployed in service of its
cause. During Siddiqui's tenure at the organization, it has lobbied
aggressively to weaken domestic and international regulations on
pesticides and other agricultural chemicals.
In 2005, the group participated in *secret talks*
<http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28722.html%22%3E%3C> [3] with
the Environmental Protection Agency and the Office of Management and
Budget on permitting pesticide testing on children. In 2006, CropLife
America helped secure an exemption for American farmers from a
*worldwide ban*
<http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/28722.html%22%3E%3C> [3] on
methyl bromide, an ozone-depleting pesticide. It has also actively
worked to *remove*
<http://www.croplifeamerica.org/sites/default/files/node_documents/CLA_Annual_Report_2009.pdf>
[4] what it terms "trade irritants" on pesticides under NAFTA. In its
2008 annual report, CLA highlighted its "relentless" efforts to persuade
negotiators to cut language "discriminatory to pesticides" from the 2008
Farm Bill. Meanwhile, its parent organization has fought to eliminate
all *tariffs on pesticides*
<http://www.croplife.org/library/attachments/7660f313-47dd-4796-a6cd-c6cf6d6a02c1/6/Doha_development_agenda_leaflet.pdf>
[5] in World Trade Organization (WTO) trade negotiations.
After the nomination was announced, more than 80 organizations—including
environmental groups and organic and local farm interests—wrote to the
Senate Finance Committee in protest. "The Obama administration has said
they're not going to put lobbyists in these roles in government, and
[Siddiqui] was a lobbyist, he worked for industry," explained Doug
Gurian-Sherman, a senior scientist working on food and environmental
issues at the Union of Concerned Scientists. "The question is whether he
can take a scientific, unbiased perspective on what works and doesn't
work, rather than a trade agenda that primarily [supports] large US
companies and the technologies they prefer."
While running for president, Obama promised Iowa voters that Big Ag
would not call the shots on his administration's farm policy. "We'll
tell ConAgra that it's not the Department of Agribusiness," he
proclaimed. Yet agribusiness seems pretty satisfied with Siddiqui's
nomination—more than 40 companies and trade groups signed a letter
applauding it.
Siddiqui is a textbook example of the type of revolving door careerist
that Obama promised to shun for key administration posts. Before joining
CropLife, he held *several jobs*
<http://clinton4.nara.gov/library/hot_releases/December_29_2000_12.html>
[6] in Bill Clinton's Department of Agriculture, including senior
agricultural trade adviser and undersecretary for marketing and
regulatory programs. During that period, he *advocated against*
<http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=2580> [7] efforts to
label genetically modified foods.
Following Siddiqui's nomination earlier this year, the White House
credited him for having led "the first phase of development for national
organic natural food standards in the United States." What press
officials didn't mention was that those standards received a barrage of
criticism upon their release in 1998. As /Mother Jones/ *reported at the
time* <http://www.pmac.net/lb1.htm> [8], the first version of the rules
"not only included the use of genetically engineered products but also
allowed for irradiation and fertilization with *sewage sludge*
<http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2009/06/did-sludge-lace-obamas-veggie-garden-lead>
[9]—which can contain metals and toxic chemicals." In December 2000,
after receiving more than 300,000 public comments, the Department of
Agriculture strengthened the rules.
At his November 4 confirmation hearing, Siddiqui faced few tough
questions from the finance committee. Only Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked
for Siddiqui's views on sustainable agricultural practices and about his
background working for the petrochemical industry. The nominee's
response was vague. "I am a true believer in all processes, systems,
whether using conventional means or organic, and I will do my best in
terms of representing all these interests in promoting agriculture
exports of both organic as well as conventionally grown products," he said.
The committee is expected to approve Siddiqui's nomination sometime this
month. And critics aren't optimistic that he'll live up to his word and
give sustainable agriculture a fair shake. "Given his background," said
Gurian-Sherman "we think he's going to continue to push the industrial
agriculture agenda he's been involved with for the past years."
/Kate Sheppard covers energy and environmental politics from Washington,
D.C. She Tweets *here* <http://twitter.com/kate_sheppard> [10]./
Copyright ©2009 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress
--
"There is nothing more dangerous than a shallow thinking compassionate
person" Garrett Hardin
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