Food Democracy Now! Pushes for Congress to Repeal the 'Monsanto Protection Act'

Family Farmer Organization of more than 400K Farmers and Citizens back Senator Jeff Merkley on push to repeal dangerous bill.

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(WASHINGTON DC) - This week, an amendment to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act could be introduced in Congress by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) during the farm bill debate.

The Monsanto Protection Act has been called the most outrageous corporate handout in recent history. This dangerous provision, strips judges of their constitutional mandate to protect consumer and farmer rights and the environment, while opening up the floodgates for the planting of new untested genetically engineered crops, endangering farmers, citizens and the environment.

“We applaud Sen. Merkley’s effort to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act. The ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ is an outrageous attempt by biotech giants like Monsanto and DuPont further consolidate their control of our nation's food supply,” said Executive Director of Food Democracy Now! Dave Murphy. “For too long, Americans have been kept in the dark about the food that we eat and the science behind it because our elected officials are in the pockets of Monsanto. We encourage the Senate to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act and protect the food we eat.”

The passage of the Monsanto Protection Act was that the last straw for millions of Americans and citizens worldwide that are outraged over the continued corruption of our democratic institutions, the contamination of our environment and Monsanto’s relentless march to take over the food supply.

While Section 735 of H.R. 933 is scheduled to sunset at the end of September, the provision has already spawned similar effort to protect the planting of Monsanto’s GMO crops in several states, including Oregon, Missouri and North Carolina. If a provision similar to the Monsanto Protection Act is slipped into the current Farm Bill it could be law for a minimum of 5 years while seriously undermining family farmers' ability to protect their crops from unwanted genetic contamination.

**Sign Petition Here:http://action.fooddemocracynow.org/sign/repeal_the_monsanto_protection_act/?akid=866.552603.0R6o73&rd=1&t=4

As Food Democracy Now! widely reported this spring, if the Monsanto Protection Act remains law it will strip federal courts of the authority to halt the sale and planting of potentially illegal and hazardous GMO crops while the U.S. Department of Agriculture reviews their potential risks to farmers and the environment. This represents not only a real risk to our food crops, but also to our democratic process, including judicial review.

Tell Congress it’s time to end the corporate takeover of our food supply, repeal the Monsanto Protection Act! It’s time to put the health of our people and our nation over Monsanto’s profits.

Food Democracy Now! is a grassroots movement of more than 400,000 farmers and citizens dedicated to building a sustainable food system that protects our natural environment, sustains farmers and nourishes families.