WASHINGTON D.C. — President Obama this past weekend appointed Dr. Islam Siddiqui to be chief agricultural negotiator in the office of the U.S. trade representative.
Siddiqui’s nomination was held up in the Senate and was opposed by a coalition of more than 80 environmental, small-farm, and consumer groups, citing Siddiqui’s close ties to the agrochemical industry as vice president of science and regulatory affairs at CropLife America, and as a registered lobbyist for the pesticide industry from 2001-2003.
Most everybody in the professional landcare industry is familiar with Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment (RISE), which lobbies for and supports the speciality chemical segment of the agrochemical industry. RISE was formed in 1991 by what was then known as the American Crop Protection Association, later to become CropLife.
Ironically, prior to the 2008 election, RISE was concerned about the possibility of Democrats taking over the White House and Congress.
