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Obama urged to name reformist “Sec of Food” for Ag post
By Janie Gabbett on 12/15/2008
With the Secretary of Agriculture one of the last cabinet spots left for President-elect Barack Obama to name, consumer and environmental activists are turning up the volume on their calls for him to name someone who leans more towards food than agriculture.
Groups including the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Food and Water Watch, among others, issued a joint news release last week urging Obama to, "appoint an individual who appreciates the diversity of programs administered by the $95-billion-a-year department, as opposed to a candidate whose primary experience involves large-scale agricultural production."
The groups called for more focus on "the consumption of safe and healthy diets — and diets that minimally harm the environment," and charged that USDA is currently, "dominated by a collection of special interests, far removed from the people it is supposed to serve."
The news release was issued the day after Obama's transition team met with dozens of agricultural organizations to seek input on issues the next Secretary of Agriculture will need to address. Implementing the 2008 farm bill was top of mind for many, according to one attendee.
In an op-ed piece last week, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kirstof called for the cabinet post itself to be renamed "Secretary of Food" to signal a move away from "a bankrupt structure of factory farming that squanders energy, exacerbates climate change and makes Americans unhealthy."
This square-off between interests is nothing new. What is new is the voracity of the debate, as the non-farm lobby views an incoming Obama administration as their best shot at change.
Obama urged to name reformist “Sec of Food” for Ag post
By Janie Gabbett on 12/15/2008
With the Secretary of Agriculture one of the last cabinet spots left for President-elect Barack Obama to name, consumer and environmental activists are turning up the volume on their calls for him to name someone who leans more towards food than agriculture.
Groups including the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Food and Water Watch, among others, issued a joint news release last week urging Obama to, "appoint an individual who appreciates the diversity of programs administered by the $95-billion-a-year department, as opposed to a candidate whose primary experience involves large-scale agricultural production."
The groups called for more focus on "the consumption of safe and healthy diets — and diets that minimally harm the environment," and charged that USDA is currently, "dominated by a collection of special interests, far removed from the people it is supposed to serve."
The news release was issued the day after Obama's transition team met with dozens of agricultural organizations to seek input on issues the next Secretary of Agriculture will need to address. Implementing the 2008 farm bill was top of mind for many, according to one attendee.
In an op-ed piece last week, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kirstof called for the cabinet post itself to be renamed "Secretary of Food" to signal a move away from "a bankrupt structure of factory farming that squanders energy, exacerbates climate change and makes Americans unhealthy."
This square-off between interests is nothing new. What is new is the voracity of the debate, as the non-farm lobby views an incoming Obama administration as their best shot at change.