News from the Organic Consumers Association

Read PDF | Subscribe & Read Past Issues | OCA Homepage | Donate  http://www.organicconsumers.org/bytes/ob397.html CAMPAIGN UPDATE RIP Monsanto Protection Act It’s dead. Thanks to you. And hundreds of thousands of people like you who signed petitions, and called their representatives and senators, the Monsanto Protection Act has, officially, expired. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) pushed hard to kill the Monsanto Protection act, a biotech industry-friendly rider attached to the government funding bill that expired on September 30. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) made sure the rider was stripped from the Senate version of the new bill to fund the government. Of course, as we all know by now, there currently is no new bill to fund the government, thanks in large part to the antics of Republican Tea Partiers. But at least we know the Monsanto Protection Act won't be in the next funding bill. Assuming Congress ever gets around to passing one. So score one for the anti-Monsanto, anti-GMO movement. With the Monsanto Protection Act dead, Monsanto no longer gets immunity from prosecution for illegally growing GMO crops.  Sometimes we wonder if those petitions and phone calls really matter. But remember. No matter which senator pounded the final nail into the Monsanto Protection Act’s coffin, you provided the hammer. This is your victory! Read more OCA SURVEY Who’s Your Favorite Monsanto Minion? You voted for (some of) them. You pay their salaries. But it’s Monsanto, not you, who spends millions to put them in office. And it’s Monsanto – not you - that they work for. We’ve narrowed the field of Monsanto’s best friends in Congress to seven. On October 10, we’ll head to the halls of Congress to present OCA’s first Monsanto’s Minion Awards. But before we do, we’d like to hear from you. Who’s your favorite Monsanto Minion? See the list and vote here.  There are no cheap dates on Capitol Hill. Monsanto spent nearly $3 million wooing Congress in the first half of 2013, putting the Biotech Bully on track to match the more than $6 million it spent on lobbying in 2012. Monsanto's PAC has doled out $237,000 in federal campaign contributions in the first half of 2013, a sign it plans to exceed the $469,000 the company spent stacking the deck with its favorite biotech-friendly candidates in 2011-2012. From collaborating with Monsanto to write the Monsanto Protection Act, to craftinglegislation that might take away states’ rights to label GMOs. Monsanto’s Minions have been hard at work. Who’s your favorite? Deadline October 7: Vote here