Kristin Schafer's blog

It’s messy and imperfect, but our democracy is worth it. For the past few months we’ve been encouraging everyone in the PAN community to show up for what you believe in during this year’s election.

Earlier this week the government of Switzerland announced that it will no longer allow exports of five pesticides that have long been banned in their own country due to known health and environmental harms. Given that pesticide industry giant Syngenta is based in Switzerland, this is incredibly significant — and very, very good news.

For years now, pesticide industry giants have been peddling their genetically engineered (GE) technology kits: modified seeds and the herbicides that go with them. Clear evidence shows this system is dangerous, brittle and failing, yet these corporations are now doubling down.

Right now, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is considering a request from Monsanto (recently acquired by Bayer) to approve a new GE corn seed engineered for use with five — yes, five — different herbicides. This is a truly terrible idea.

For years, we’ve seen how the pesticide industry works the system to keep their products on the market. But under this administration? It’s beyond the pale.

It’s not news to anyone that giant corporations like Monsanto and Dow (now Bayer and Corteva) invest billions to influence politicians and buddy up with regulators. Or that they send teams of slick experts to international arenas to get a seat at these high-level policy tables. 

As is now crystal clear, a healthy democracy demands much more than simply showing up at the polls. But as we move into this fraught election year, let’s not forget just how important voting can be. It matters.