Secretary Vilsack’s nomination to be Secretary of Agriculture was confirmed by the Senate on Tuesday, February 23. Kristin Schafer, Executive Director of Pesticide Action Network (PAN), released the following statement in response to the confirmation:
“We look forward to engaging with Secretary Vilsack on the new Administration’s critical priorities of addressing racial injustice and creating climate solutions in the food system.
“We will also be pressing him to address the urgent problems created by chemical-intensive agriculture, including biodiversity loss, crop damage from drifting pesticides, widespread human health harms and corporate consolidation in the agricultural sector. We hope Secretary Vilsack will tackle these critical challenges head on, and put USDA to work creating a system of food and farming that’s healthy, resilient and just.”
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Pesticide Action Network works to create a just, thriving food system. PAN works alongside those on the frontlines of pesticide exposure — from farmworkers to rural communities to beekeepers. PAN links local and international consumer, labor, health, environment and agriculture groups into an international citizens’ action network. Together, we challenge the global proliferation of pesticides, defend basic rights to health and environmental quality, and work to ensure the transition to a just and viable food system.
