Monsanto Isn't Improving Agriculture!
The Monsanto Company spends millions of dollars each year to persuade the public and policy makers in Washington that it is "improving" agriculture. Now, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is setting the record straight.
UCS's analysis has found that Monsanto's pesticide-promoting, genetically engineered approach has led to new agriculture problems while doing little to feed hungry people and help farmers. They've also shown that modern, science-based plant breeding and farming practices can achieve such goals more cost effectively than genetically engineered seeds -- but they need public investment to compete with the profit-driven research agendas of companies like Monsanto.
Congress is getting ready to wrap up work on the Farm Bill and send it to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Tell USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack not to fall for Monsanto's advertising and lobbying hype and give a fair shot to modern, cost-effective agricultural practices that promote the public good.
Dear Secretary Vilsack,
Congress is wrapping up its work on the Farm Bill. Soon this legislation will arrive on your doorstep, and you will have to make a lot of decisions about how it is implemented. Will you help American agriculture move in the right direction?
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You have probably seen ads all over Washington this year with messages from the Monsanto Company about how it is "improving agriculture." That multi-million dollar advertising campaign was designed to convince decision makers like you that the only path to a sustainable agriculture future hinges on even wider adoption of the company's plant technologies. Now, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) is setting the record straight. UCS has found that Monsanto's approach has in fact led to new farming problems -- including increased herbicide use and loss of biodiversity -- while making only token advantages in yield improvement and thought resilience.
Meanwhile, studies show that modern science-based practices such as classical plant breeding and organic farming systems can achieve such goals more cost effectively than genetically engineered seeds -- and need only a fair chance to compete for the same kind of public investment enjoyed by companies like Monsanto.
I urge you to support the future of agriculture by leveling the playing field for practices like conventional plant breeding and organic agriculture as you implement the 2012 Farm Bill. For more information, visit www.MonsantoFails.org.
