Seeing that the end is near, George Bush is hard at work ensuring that all his cronies from the corporate factory farm lobby are appointed to positions, where they can be in charge of the regulatory hen house.
In this case Bush has appointed Dennis H. Treacy, Smithfield Food's Vice President of Environmental Affairs to the newly formed Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Advisory Committee.
Our friends over at Responsible Shopper had this to say about Smithfield Foods:
"When consumers think Smithfield, they should think pigs, because that's what the company is about. Smithfield pumps pork products onto the market at volumes that weigh heavily on people and the environment. Massive hog farms mean tons of waste and Smithfield has been fined as much as $12.6 million for violating Clean Water Act provisions by improperly dumping waste in waterways. On the human side of operations, meat packers endure poor working conditions and poorer treatment than employees in most other industries. Companies such as Smithfield require workers to perform strenuous tasks in low temperatures, causing bodily harm that often goes undiagnosed or untreated. Like most other corporations, Smithfield has a stated commitment to the environment and its employees, but the company's actions hardly reflect these admirable principles."
From as far as we at the Apple Cart can tell, this is another attempt by our elected officials to roll over the rights of rural people and farmers by promoting corporate farming in our rural communities.
Only 358 days left until we say good-bye to the corrupt George Bush.

