As we have already seen, it’s not likely that we can depend on President Trump to promote the public interest over corporate interests when the two do not align. This is particularly disturbing when it when it comes to the fight to sustain a just, equitable and accessible food system. Already just five companies – Monsanto, DuPont, Syngenta, Dow and Bayer – account for 62% of world seed sales. This puts the control of the world’s seed supply, and in turn, food supply, in the hands of a few agrichemical giants whose only bottom line is another dollar sign.
And now, the potential mergers between Dow and DuPont, Bayer and Monsanto, and Syngenta and ChemChina would put people all over the world at even higher risk of food insecurity and exposure to toxic pesticides. As our director Andrew Kimbrell said recently, "The continuing consolidation of seed and pesticide companies essentially creates a monopoly of toxicity in control of the world’s seed market and food supply. These agrichemical giants threaten the availability and genetic diversity of seeds that are critical to a sustainable food system and to our ability to respond to the impacts of climate change.”
That’s why Center for Food Safety joined more than 300 farming, beekeeping, farmworker, religious, food safety, and conservation advocacy groups in a letter urging the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a thorough investigation and, on behalf of the public interest and the protection of our food, health and environment, to oppose the proposed mergers between Dow and DuPont, Bayer and Monsanto, and Syngenta and ChemChina. We will not stand by quietly if Attorney General Jeff Sessions allows politics to interfere with the U.S. DOJ's antitrust review of these mergers – farmer and consumer interests must be put above corporations. These mergers would be nothing more than a poisonous combination of greed and corruption.
You, too, can take action to tell the government to say no to these dangerous megamergers!