Schering-Plough Corporation, a major manufacturer of human and animal drugs and consumer health products, spent $500,000 for lobbying efforts to Congress in just three months. With big corporations constantly buying the attention of Congress, how can the little guy survive? Isn’t it time that Consumers are represented in Washington?
The Associated Press reports that Schering-Plough Corp. spent half a million dollars in the third quarter of 2008 to lobby on veterinary products, drug pricing and other issues. http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/01/05/ap5879088.html
Half a million dollars spent in just three months from just one corporation to sway the lawmakers of Congress; in tough economic times. It’s hard to imagine how much all of the big corporations spend, even more so in good economic times.
The Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives, http://clerk.house.gov/, hosts a data base of public records of lobbying expenditures. What you can find in this data base is simply amazing.
Just a few of the reporting’s: Exxon Mobil Corporation reported spending $6,660,000.00 in the first quarter of 2008 on lobbying efforts. Sanofi-aventis U.S. Inc. reported $1,190,000.00 in the first quarter, and $1,270,000.00 in the third quarter. GM reported spending $10,000,000.00 on lobbying efforts in the forth quarter of 2008.
The above lobby expenditures total $19,120,000.00 spend by just three corporations over six months time.
The Pet Food Institute, a pet food lobbying organization, has long established solid ties with the FDA and AAFCO; they do NOT have honest pet food labels, and FDA enforcement of existing Federal law on their agenda. However we can guess that keeping regulations as they are, and keeping the FDA’s permission to ignore Federal law is.
Although it has been discussed by many pet food safety advocates over the years, a pet food consumer organization developed to lobby Congress is long past due. For the most part, all of these past efforts have been stopped in their tracks for lack of money. It is puzzling that high quality pet food manufacturers, companies that would financially benefit from such an organization, have NOT openly supported and embraced such a cause.
Individual pet food safety advocates should NOT be solely responsible for taking on the giants of industry and government. Perhaps a high quality pet food manufacturer could open their eyes and realize that although lobbying efforts to lawmakers in Congress will benefit other high quality pet food makers – their competitors; more importantly, these efforts will benefit their Customers and future Customers. Better yet, why can’t an organization of high quality pet food manufacturers work together for legislative causes? Get off your duffs, work together; everyone will benefit.
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com
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