To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Tell Congress: Stop the Bayer-Monsanto merger!
Dear Legislator,
I am opposed to the proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger, which threatens competition and innovation in our food system, compromises the future sustainability of agriculture, and harms farmers, agricultural workers, and consumers. This merger threatens to significantly reduce farmer choice, decrease quality and diversity of seeds, and increase their prices. I urge you to oppose it.
This month, a new survey of farmers in 48 states found widespread opposition to this merger. According to the poll, of the farmers who responded:
• 93.7 percent are concerned about the proposed merger of Bayer and Monsanto (82.8 percent are very concerned/10.9 percent somewhat concerned);
• 93.7 percent of farmers are concerned that the proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger will negatively impact independent farmers and farming communities (83.9 percent are very concerned/9.8 percent somewhat concerned).
Farmers were overwhelmingly concerned that the merged company will use its dominance in one product to push sales of other products, that Bayer/Monsanto will control data about farm practices and that the merger will result in increased pressure for chemically dependent farming. Plus, farmers are concerned that the merger will increase prices; and diminish quality, choice and seed varieties including the availability of regionally adaptive seed, which farmers identified as critical given increasing climate variability.
Indeed, this is already happening. The case of Monsanto’s herbicide dicamba clearly shows the company already has too much power over farmers.
In 2017, Monsanto began marketing a combination of their herbicide dicamba and dicamba-tolerant (DT) GMO soybeans. The chemical is notoriously hard to contain and can travel miles when sprayed, especially in hot, dry weather. This led farmers to sue Monsanto; states investigated the damage, and Arkansas even banned dicamba’s use. Nonetheless, dicamba remains on the market and its use could double in 2018, in part because farmers who lost soybeans to dicamba in 2017 have been pressured to purchase DT seeds in 2018 to ensure their crops aren’t again destroyed by dicamba drift. This is not a hypothetical situation to illustrate the possibility of farmers’ lack of choice and increased use of chemicals in agriculture -- it’s already happening.
Polling shows that Americans share farmers concerns. A poll found that 9 in 10 Americans have serious concerns about the Bayer-Monsanto merger due to impacts on jobs, food safety, and independent farmers. It is clear from the poll that Americans want their elected officials to counter the move toward corporate monopolies. The poll found 90% of Americans, including 92% of Trump voters, believe that the Trump Administration should take a more aggressive stance towards corporate monopolies.
Further, the evidence is clear that any of Bayer’s proposed divestiture and behavioral remedies will not solve farmer and consumer concerns. The only answer to this merger is for the Department of Justice to reject it.
If Bayer and Monsanto are allowed to merge, the resulting company would be the world’s largest vegetable seed producer with a near monopoly on the broccoli, carrot and onion seed markets. It would be the world’s largest cotton seed company, owning seed for about 70% of all the cotton grown in the U.S. It would also be the largest manufacturer and seller of herbicides as well as the world’s largest owner of the intellectual property and patents for herbicide-tolerant seed traits.
In March, the European Union conditionally approved the merger and the Department of Justice issued a statement that the United States is different than Europe. This is indeed true. Given tighter regulation in the European Union, it is even more important that the U.S. take a stronger stance on this merger to protect farmers and the American public.
I urge you to write a letter to the Department of Justice outlining the concerns of farmers and constituents like me and urge the DOJ to not follow in the European Union’s footsteps. It is clear that divestiture and behavioral remedies will not solve the long-term and widespread negative impacts of this merger. I urge you to work with the Department of Justice to ensure it reins in the consolidation of the food and agriculture industry that has damaged family farmers, eaters, and our planet. The only answer to this merger is NO.
Sincerely,
I am opposed to the proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger, which threatens competition and innovation in our food system, compromises the future sustainability of agriculture, and harms farmers, agricultural workers, and consumers. This merger threatens to significantly reduce farmer choice, decrease quality and diversity of seeds, and increase their prices. I urge you to oppose it.
This month, a new survey of farmers in 48 states found widespread opposition to this merger. According to the poll, of the farmers who responded:
• 93.7 percent are concerned about the proposed merger of Bayer and Monsanto (82.8 percent are very concerned/10.9 percent somewhat concerned);
• 93.7 percent of farmers are concerned that the proposed Bayer-Monsanto merger will negatively impact independent farmers and farming communities (83.9 percent are very concerned/9.8 percent somewhat concerned).
Farmers were overwhelmingly concerned that the merged company will use its dominance in one product to push sales of other products, that Bayer/Monsanto will control data about farm practices and that the merger will result in increased pressure for chemically dependent farming. Plus, farmers are concerned that the merger will increase prices; and diminish quality, choice and seed varieties including the availability of regionally adaptive seed, which farmers identified as critical given increasing climate variability.
Indeed, this is already happening. The case of Monsanto’s herbicide dicamba clearly shows the company already has too much power over farmers.
In 2017, Monsanto began marketing a combination of their herbicide dicamba and dicamba-tolerant (DT) GMO soybeans. The chemical is notoriously hard to contain and can travel miles when sprayed, especially in hot, dry weather. This led farmers to sue Monsanto; states investigated the damage, and Arkansas even banned dicamba’s use. Nonetheless, dicamba remains on the market and its use could double in 2018, in part because farmers who lost soybeans to dicamba in 2017 have been pressured to purchase DT seeds in 2018 to ensure their crops aren’t again destroyed by dicamba drift. This is not a hypothetical situation to illustrate the possibility of farmers’ lack of choice and increased use of chemicals in agriculture -- it’s already happening.
Polling shows that Americans share farmers concerns. A poll found that 9 in 10 Americans have serious concerns about the Bayer-Monsanto merger due to impacts on jobs, food safety, and independent farmers. It is clear from the poll that Americans want their elected officials to counter the move toward corporate monopolies. The poll found 90% of Americans, including 92% of Trump voters, believe that the Trump Administration should take a more aggressive stance towards corporate monopolies.
Further, the evidence is clear that any of Bayer’s proposed divestiture and behavioral remedies will not solve farmer and consumer concerns. The only answer to this merger is for the Department of Justice to reject it.
If Bayer and Monsanto are allowed to merge, the resulting company would be the world’s largest vegetable seed producer with a near monopoly on the broccoli, carrot and onion seed markets. It would be the world’s largest cotton seed company, owning seed for about 70% of all the cotton grown in the U.S. It would also be the largest manufacturer and seller of herbicides as well as the world’s largest owner of the intellectual property and patents for herbicide-tolerant seed traits.
In March, the European Union conditionally approved the merger and the Department of Justice issued a statement that the United States is different than Europe. This is indeed true. Given tighter regulation in the European Union, it is even more important that the U.S. take a stronger stance on this merger to protect farmers and the American public.
I urge you to write a letter to the Department of Justice outlining the concerns of farmers and constituents like me and urge the DOJ to not follow in the European Union’s footsteps. It is clear that divestiture and behavioral remedies will not solve the long-term and widespread negative impacts of this merger. I urge you to work with the Department of Justice to ensure it reins in the consolidation of the food and agriculture industry that has damaged family farmers, eaters, and our planet. The only answer to this merger is NO.
Sincerely,
Why is this important?
Bayer the Bee-Slayer and Monsanto the Butterfly Killer are trying to merge into one giant pesticide corporation. This merger is happening as part of a massive wave of consolidation in our food system.
The Department of Justice is still reviewing the merger and Congress could help push the department to reject it -- but we need your help to convince it to act!
The Department of Justice is still reviewing the merger and Congress could help push the department to reject it -- but we need your help to convince it to act!