Friday, April 30, 2010 by: Aaron Turpen, citizen journalist
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(NaturalNews) The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was created in 1889 and has the stated mission of providing for the health and safety of American agriculture while promoting good agricultural practice. It has devolved into an organization whose primary purpose appears to be to protect and defend Big Agribusiness and the profits it brings while ignoring the safety and health concerns it causes.

The latest in the saga of corruption and conflicts of interest to beset the U.S. government`s agricultural oligarchy is President Obama`s appointment of Islam Siddiqui as chief agricultural negotiator for the U.S. trade representative.1 Siddiqui was appointed in a sidestepping maneuver that went around Congress, despite serious concern expressed by citizens, small farm advocates, and organic growers.

Siddiqui is not new to the government game. He was undersecretary in charge of the marketing and regulatory programs of the USDA`s organic labeling standards. These are the same standards that allowed genetically modified (GMO) crops, irradiated foods, and worse to be labeled as “organic.” He also worked hard to convince the European Union to accept both hormone-treated beef and GMO crops.

He is obviously no friend to healthy, natural, beneficial foods.
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