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Despite Strong Opposition, Obama Signs Monsanto Protection Act

  • Spence Cooper
  • March 28, 2013

Despite Strong Opposition, Obama Signs Monsanto Protection ActDespite strong opposition from consumer groups, President Barack Obama has signed H.R. 933 into law, which contained the Monsanto Protection Act.

Food Democracy Now collected signatures from more than 250,000 Americans urging Obama to veto the bill, and points out that with the passage of the Monsanto Protection Act, biotech lobbyists are one step closer to making sure that their new GMO crops can evade any serious scientific or regulatory review.

The Monsanto Protection Act “strips judges of their constitutional mandate to protect consumer and farmer rights and the environment, while opening up the floodgates for the planting of new untested genetically engineered crops, endangering farmers, citizens and the environment.”

The bill “effectively bars federal courts from being able to halt the sale or planting of GMO or GE crops and seeds, no matter what health consequences from the consumption of these products may come to light in the future.”

The USDA will now be forced to automatically approve all GMO planting permits sought by Monsanto and other biotech firms.

“In this hidden backroom deal, Sen. Mikulski turned her back on consumer, environmental and farmer protection in favor of corporate welfare for biotech companies such as Monsanto,” Andrew Kimbrell, executive director of the Center for Food Safety, said in a statement.

The Center for Food Safety claims the Monsanto Protect Act is an unprecedented attack on U.S. judicial review of agency actions and a major violation of the separation of powers.

Natural News webstie creator Mike Adams suggests this kind of corporate power is a form of tyrannical government where corporations conspire with the government to destroy or confiscate all rights, powers and assets, leaving the people impoverished and powerless.

In the past, First Lady Michelle Obama has taken an active role in food and nutrition with her White House Garden and Let’s Move Campaign, but if she had real concern for the food related health and safety of children she would have joined others and been a loud and vocal opponent of the Monsanto Protection Act.

Food Democracy Now urges consumers to continue to demand GMO food be labeled. You can help them in calling on President Obama to issue an executive order to call for the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

Ronnie Cummins, National Director of the Organic Consumers Association has vowed to continue the fight against Monsanto. In November, voters in Washington State will decide on I-522, a citizens’ ballot initiative to label GMOs. The OCA has pledged $500,000 to the I-522 campaign.

Cummins claims I-522 is the next best opportunity to pass a state GMO labeling law.

“Just as with California, a GMO labeling law in Washington State will force food companies to label nationally. And while a federal labeling law would likely be written by lobbyists to favor Big Food and Big Biotech, I-522 was written with consumers’ best interests as top priority.”

The Organic Consumers Fund has pledged $500,000 to win in Washington. A generous donor has promised to provide half of that pledge, if we raise $250,000 by April 1.

Every donation, of every size, will help us reach our fundraising goal. And help you win the right to know what’s in your food. Please donate today.

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