Tell Congress to stop Big Ag mega-mergers!

Mega-mergers, like the Bayer-Monsanto merger, give the pesticide industry nearly unchecked power to poison people and our environment.

The good news: Congress is considering a bill that could stop any future Big Ag mega-mergers. But they won't pass it unless they hear from you.

Dear Legislator,

I am deeply concerned by corporate concentration and consolidation in our food and agriculture system and our country’s lax enforcement of our anti-trust laws. The recent wave of agricultural mergers including Dow-Dupont, ChemChina-Syngenta, and Bayer-Monsanto put farmers and consumers at risk of decreased choices and increased prices. The evidence is clear that this highly-concentrated industry will have a detrimental impact on farmers, businesses, workers, consumers, the environment and our food system. To help address this issue, I urge you to cosponsor Senator Booker, Senator Tester, and Representative Pocan’s Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Anti-trust Review Act of 2019 S.1596/HR2933.

This bill would initiate a moratorium on large agriculture, food and beverage manufacturing, and grocery retail mergers to allow time for legislators and regulators to catch up to the harm industry consolidation has been causing. It also recommends improvements to anti-trust enforcement.

History has shown that the consolidation of agricultural corporations has only hurt farmers and consumers. Recent mergers in the food and agriculture sector have given mega-corporations an unprecedented amount of power in the industries of farming, inputs, research, and technology. These mergers lead to monopoly practices that reduce farmer choices, decrease the quality and diversity of seeds, and increase prices for farmers and consumers. In addition, the lack of competitive markets stunts innovation and entrenches the failing chemical-intensive farming model that is responsible for pollinator declines and deterioration of biodiversity.

Our current merger review practices and lax enforcement of our laws will not be sufficient to protect farmers and consumers from the impacts of these mega-mergers. This bill is critical because it will place a moratorium on all mergers and acquisitions in the food and agriculture sector. It will also establish a commission that would examine anti-trust measures and provide oversight in this sector. This commission would publish recommendations on how to improve our country’s negligent anti-trust rules and merger enforcement laws and help restore fair and competitive markets.

A poll by Public Policy Polling found that 9-in-10 Americans had serious concerns about the recent Bayer-Monsanto merger due to its impacts on jobs, food safety and independent farmers. This poll demonstrates that Americans are concerned about the way our federal government is regulating corporations and want their elected officials to crack down on concentrated corporate power. The poll also found 90 percent of Americans, including 92 percent of Trump voters, believe the Trump Administration needs to take on a more aggressive stance to corporate monopolies.

Last year, over 1 million Americans signed petitions urging the Department of Justice to reject the Bayer-Monsanto merger. However, despite widespread opposition, the Trump Administration green-lighted this merger. This year 219 farm, food, rural, faith and consumer advocacy organizations delivered a letter to Congress endorsing Senator Booker, Senator Tester, and Representative Pocan’s agribusiness merger moratorium legislation. This legislation is widely supported.

I urge you to demonstrate leadership on this issue and provide strong oversight on corporate monopolies by cosponsoring the Food and Agribusiness Merger Moratorium and Anti-trust Review Act of 2019 S.1596/HR2933. This legislation will help protect consumers, farmers, rural economies, and the environment.

Sincerely,
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{user_data~City}, {user_data~State} {user_data~Postcode}

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