ACTION ALERT
Big Ag is at it again on Capitol Hill. They’ve spent the past few months lobbying Congress, trying to change the rules in favor of corporate interests at the expense of family farmers. Did you hear about the Monsanto Protection Act? Or the “GIPSA”* rider that would put independent ranchers at the mercy of giant meatpackers? These policies were snuck in – behind the scenes – to a spending bill just a few weeks ago.
We can’t let this happen again. Help us defend family farmers and ranchers against rules that prevent fairness in the marketplace and that short-circuit safety measures on GMO crops!
The meat industry is working tirelessly to maintain market dominance and drive independent livestock producers out of business. The global industry giants have successfully blocked completion of common-sense US Department of Agriculture rules to give farmers a fair shake in the marketplace. Likewise, Monsanto is pushing to override the normal review process for new GMO crops – so that new, potentially unsafe crops can be planted even if a judge determines their environmental safety has not been proven.
We need your help to make sure that Congress listens to family farmers and ranchers – not only a few corporate giants! Can we count on you to make a call?
It takes just a moment – please call Senator Tim Johnson, who is a key agricultural appropriator. Call (202) 224-5842 for Senator Johnson and ask for the agricultural appropriations aide, then share a message like this one:
“I am a constituent and a voter. (If you’re a farmer, let them know!) Please stand up for family farmers and ranchers – please oppose any legislation that would limit, through the appropriations process, USDA’s implementation of the important GIPSA fair competition rule or undermine judicial review of genetically modified crops. Both of this issues are critical for family farmers and for a safe food supply.”
Congress has to know that we’re watching – and that corporate interests can’t change the rules of the game to benefit their narrow interests at the expense of family farmers and ranchers. Please call today!
Stay tuned for more opportunities for action – it’s going to take all of us speaking out loud and clear for sustainable agriculture in the weeks to come.
Thank you for all that you do,
Dakota Rural Action Team
P.S. Looking for more details? Click here. After you call, please tell us how it went by filling out this short form!
* A bill on the books since the 1930s – the Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Act (GIPSA) – seeks to protect farmers from the abuses that can occur when large corporations control the market. For decades, the US Department of Agriculture failed to enforce this law. In 2008, Congress instructed USDA to finally issue rules to implement the law, but large meatpackers have been fighting back and working to prevent USDA from enforcing these rules that support fairness for farmers and ranchers.