Elizabeth Warren Signs "No Big Ag Money" Pledge

Today a coalition of food, farming, food chain worker and environmental groups announced that 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren has signed the No Big Ag Money pledge. The pledge, launched last week calls upon 2020 presidential candidates to reject contributions from large food and agribusiness corporation executives, lobbyists, and PACs.

A new poll released last week shows that 77 percent of Iowa Democratic Caucus goers agree that presidential candidates should reject donations from large food and agribusiness corporations, with 55 percent strongly holding this view.

"We applaud Sen. Warren for listening to voters that overwhelmingly support candidates rejecting Big Ag's money and influence," said Lisa Archer, Food and Agriculture Director for Friends of the Earth Action. "We urge all presidential candidates to take the No Big Ag Money pledge and prioritize our families, farmers, food chain workers, our planet and our democracy over Big Ag's profits."

"Unfortunately, through campaign financing, multinational agribusiness has gained far too much influence over farm and food policy in the United States," said Wes Shoemyer, Family Farm Action Board Member. "It is encouraging to see presidential candidates like Senator Warren taking the "No Big Ag Money" pledge. We need more candidates to stand with independent family farmers, and this commitment is a step in the right direction."

"Iowa voters know that the way to create a thriving agricultural economy is through sustainable small and mid-sized farms, not large factory farms and corporations," said Mark Schlosberg, Political Director, Food & Water Action. "Democratic candidates who are interested in supporting Iowa's family farmers will embrace policies like breaking up big agribusiness and stopping the expansion of factory farms. This starts with rejecting money from these large corporate interests and a pledge to reject Big Ag money."

"It would be great to see all the candidates join Elizabeth Warren in taking the No Big Ag Money Pledge." said Alexis Baden-Mayer, Political Director of Citizens Regeneration Lobby. "It's time to stop agribusiness monopolies from using campaign cash and lobbying dollars to put a strangle-hold on federal food and farm policy."

The Lake Research Partners poll of 400 likely Democratic Caucus goers also found that:

• 64 percent favor breaking up the largest food and agriculture corporations, including over a third (37 percent) who strongly favor this.
• 64 percent favor temporarily stopping the development of new factory farms and expansion of existing ones.
• 89 percent favor increasing resources and spending in order to help family farmers increase use of conservation practices that protect soil, water, and wildlife.
• 72 percent support increasing resources and spending to help family farmers adapt to climate change while meeting our food needs.

Currently in the United States, four corporations (many of them foreign owned) control 84 percent of the market for beef, 70 percent of the market for soy, 66 percent of the market for hogs, 80 percent of the market for corn, 59 percent of the market for poultry, 84 percent of the market for pesticides and 60 percent of the market for seeds.

The findings are from a poll commissioned by Friends of the Earth Action and conducted by Lake Research Partners by telephone January 2-5, 2020 of 400 registered Iowa voters who were screened as likely participants in the 2020 Democratic Presidential Caucus. Click here to read LRP's memo on the poll. The No Big Ag Money Pledge coalition includes Friends of the Earth Action, Citizens Regeneration Lobby, Family Farm Action, Food & Water Action, HEAL Food Action, and Iowa CCI Action and the pledge can be found here.