Monsanto Employees in the Halls of Government

By Jeremy Bloom, Red Green and Blue

16 February 12

ow bad is the revolving door between Monsanto and government? This handy chart (from geke.us) pretty much sums it up.

Monsanto has been particularly talented at vacuuming up well connected ex-Congressmen, Senators and other government officials to go back and lobby the government, using their connections for the company's benefit. And it also has been great at placing its own people into the agencies that are supposed to be regulating it.

One of the worst examples isn't even on the chart - Michael R Taylor:

• Taylor started off as a partner at the law firm that represented Monsanto on GBH issues (artificial growth hormones that make cows give more milk).
• Then, as the FDA's deputy commissioner for policy, he wrote the FDA's rBGH labelling guidelines – the ones that insisted there was no difference between rGBH and regular milk.
• He also deleted references to problems with GMO foods, over the objection of staff scientists.
• Then he spent a few years working directly for Monsanto.
• And now? Barak Obama brought him back to the FDA to oversee Monsanto again, as his food safety issues czar!

More background: See our earlier story, Monsanto employees in the halls of government.