If we don't stop this bill . . . 

Dear Organic Consumer,

A federal bill that no one took seriously last year is fast gaining traction in the U.S. House of Representatives.

It’s a bill written by Monsanto, for Monsanto. A shameful example of regulations written to protect corporations from people—from you—instead of the other way around.

Four times a year we run online fundraising campaigns. Until now, we’ve never extended a deadline.

But this time is different. This time, the stakes are exceptionally high.

We’ve extended our deadline to midnight Tuesday, July 7, so we can take advantage of two matching fund offers, from Mercola.com and Dr. Bronner’s. Can you help us raise about $20,000 to meet our goal and step up our efforts to defeat the Mother of All Monsanto Protection Acts? You can donate online, by phone or by mail, details here.

Hearings on H.R. 1599 have already been held in subcommittees of both the House Energy & Commerce and House Agriculture Committees. The hearings were dominated by false and deceptive testimony, delivered by Monsanto’s hired guns.

Based on what we know about those hearings, things aren’t looking great for consumers.

We used to call H.R. 1599 the DARK Act—because its intent is to Deny Americans the Right to Know. But the bill gets worse with every draft. It’s so bad now, we’ve renamed it the “Mother of All Monsanto Protection Acts.”

If we don’t stop this bill, Vermont’s GMO labeling law will be killed, and no other state will ever be allowed to pass a GMO labeling law.

If we don’t stop this bill, county bans on GMO crops will be killed, and no other county will ever be allowed to pass a GMO crop ban.

If we don’t stop this bill, there will never be any pre-market safety testing of GMO foods.

If we don’t stop this bill, food producers won’t be allowed to tell you their products are GMO-free—until and unless the USDA finalizes its own GMO-free labeling standard. Then, and only then, will food manufacturers be allowed to tell you their products don’t contain GMOs—based on a standard that will likely allow a much higher percentage of GMO ingredients than any existing independent certification, such as Non-GMO Project certification.

If we don’t stop this bill, you will lose any right you ever had to the truth about genetically modified food. And corporations will win the right to eviscerate the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

With the holiday weekend coming up, we know people are busy and distracted. That’s why we’ve extended our deadline, to give everyone a chance to contribute. And to give Mercola.com and Dr. Bronner’s a chance to triple the value of your donation.

In the meantime, we continue to organize meetings across the country, between concerned citizens and key members of Congress. We continue to reach out to state legislators with a request to sign a joint letter to Congress members, asking them to reject this attack on states’ rights and consumers’ right to know. 

We are organizing letter-writing campaigns, making thousands of phone calls and planning a massive demonstration in Washington D.C.

If we don’t stop this bill, the GMO labeling movement could come to a screeching halt.

Can you help us raise about $20,000 by midnight July 7, to meet our goal and step up our efforts to defeat the Mother of All Monsanto Protection Acts? You can donate online, by phone or by mail, details here.

Ronnie Cummins

National Director, Organic Consumers Association and Organic Consumers Fund