The Senate should reject President Trump’s nomination of DowDuPont executive Scott Hutchins for USDA chief scientist, said the environmental group Food and Water Watch on Wednesday, referring to Hutchins as “a particularly egregious gift to the chemical industry that imperils our food system from field to plate.” The Union of Concerned Scientists said senators should insist that Hutchins “use his expertise to make decisions in the public interest.”
If confirmed by the Senate, Hutchins would be the third high-level USDA official with ties to Dow, said Mother Jones. The others are Ted McKinney, undersecretary for trade, and Ken Isley, head of the Foreign Agricultural Service. At present, Hutchins is global leader of integrated field sciences for Corteva Agriscience, the seed and ag-chemical arm of DowDuPont.
“It doesn’t take a Ph.D. to know that this move represents the interests of industrial agriculture in growing their bottom lines,” said Food and Water Watch in announcing that it will actively oppose the nomination. “Their payday will come at a cost to farmers, farmworkers, and the environment, and will result in more dangerous toxins in our food.”
The Union of Concerned Scientists said the nomination “is the latest in the Trump administration’s efforts to maximize corporate influence over the priorities and direction of U.S. agriculture.”