Agribusiness Giants Spend Millions to Shape U.S. Farm Policy
By by Henrick Karoliszyn, DSW, The Defender
Chinese-owned Syngenta and Smithfield Foods have spent a combined $24.2 million on federal lobbying since their acquisitions, according to a Center for Responsible Food Business investigation as reported by The Defender. The report also tracks political contributions benefiting lawmakers in both parties, including the chairmen of the House and Senate agriculture committees.
The investigation examines the companies’ efforts to influence pesticide regulation, food safety and agricultural policy. It highlights increased Syngenta lobbying before the Trump administration’s final Make America Healthy Again strategy omitted explicit references to atrazine, its controversial herbicide. That sequence raises questions about industry influence but does not establish that spending caused the policy change.
The report also alleges that both companies omitted required foreign-ownership information from lobbying filings. Neither company responded to The Defender’s requests for comment. HHS denied that outside interests dictate the administration’s health decisions.
