NFFC Issues - Corporate Control

DOJ/USDA Competition Workshops

Corporate Control News

Attorneys General of 14 States Write to Express Concerns Regarding Antitrust and Competition in the Agriculture Industry (03.11.10)

U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis Criticizes Agribusiness-Backed Global Harvest Initative's Failed Ideas to Feed the World (09.22.09) –The U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis criticized the new Global Harvest Initiative, backed by Monsanto, Archer Daniels Midland, John Deere and DuPont, for continuing to advocate a failed approach to feeding the world and addressing global hunger.

The Role of Agribusiness in Our Food Crisis (08.07.08) - George Naylor a0nd Irene Lin warn critics of ethanol not to let the "real bad actors" off the hook. (Alternet)

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and USDA have announced dates
and locations of joint public workshops to explore competition and regulatory issues in the agriculture industry.

Click here for more info.

Spotlight on Siddiqui

Siddiqui Fails to Answer for Anti-Organic, Anti-Sustainable, Anti-Consumer Record (11.04.09) - NFFC and Pesticide Action Network North America expressed disappointment today with Islam Siddiqui’s testimony and answers during the Senate Finance Committee hearing on his nomination to become the next USTR Chief Agriculture Negotiator.

80+ Groups and 38,000 Individuals Unite Against Siddiqui Nomination (11.02.09) - In an unprecedented effort to block a USTR agriculture nominee, over 80 groups sent a letter today to Chairman Max Baucus and Ranking Member Charles Grassley of the Senate Finance Committee urging the rejection of Islam Siddiqui as Chief Agriculture Negotiator at the office of the United States Trade Representative.

Broad Coalition Decry White House Defense of Pesticide Lobbyist Nomination (10.27.09) - Sustainable agriculture advocates from around the country today expressed deep disappointment with the Obama Administration’s defense of nominating Islam Siddiqui, a former pesticide lobbyist as our chief agriculture trade representative at the office of the United States Trade Representative.

Corporate Control Resources

USDA INC.: How Agribusiness has Hacked Regulatory Policy at the U.S. Department of Agriculture by Philip Mattera (Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First)

Limiting Captive Supply Arrangements in Livestock Production by Philip Mattera (Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First)

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
by Mafruza Khan (Corporate Research Project of Good Jobs First)

Who Owns Organic?

Learn more about major corporate ownership and involvement in the organic food sector.

For a chart depicting acquisitions of
organic brands by the top 30 food processors
in North America, click below.

Agricultural Competition
and Contract Fairness

Today, a tiny handful of meatpackers and poultry processors dominate the livestock industry, making it hard for an individual farmer to get a fair deal or equitable price for cattle, hogs or chickens. Packers are able to use their monopoly-like power to manipulate prices paid to livestock producers.

It’s time for USDA to restore competition by enforcing the Packers & Stockyards Act as Congress originally intended.

Read a Western Organization of Resource Councils factsheet, Stop Packers' Unfair Practices, here. (10/09)

Read a background on Proposed Regulation of Poultry Contracts by Rural Advance Foundation International (RAFI-USA) here. (10/09)

Organizations Urge Obama to Make Issues of Agricultural Competition and Market Concentration a Top Priority (01.18.07)

National Family Farm Coalition
110 Maryland Ave. N.E., Suite 307
Washington, DC 20002

nffc@nffc.net

ph (202) 543-5675
fax (202) 543-0978