A press release submitted by Tierra Curry, a scientist at the Center for Biological Diversity, announced that President Obama has appointed former pesticide lobbyist Islam Siddiqui, to be chief agricultural negotiator in the office of the U.S. trade representative.
Obama circumvented a stalled Senate confirmation vote with Dr. Siddiqui’s appointment. Dr. Siddiqui’s nomination was opposed by the Center for Biological Diversity and more than 80 other environmental, small-farm, and consumer groups. More than 90,000 concerned citizens contacted the White House and Senate to oppose the nomination.
Dr. Siddiqui formerly served as Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America, a biotech and pesticide trade group that lobbies to weaken environmental laws.
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According to the Center for Biological Diversity press release, “CropLife America lobbies to weaken the Endangered Species Act and the Clean Water Act, claiming that pesticides are not pollutants because of their intended beneficial effect and that pesticides positively impact endangered species. The group has lobbied to allow pesticides to be tested on children and also launched a petition asking Michelle Obama to use pesticides in the organic White House garden and fought county initiatives in California banning genetically modified foods.”
“Dr. Siddiqui’s confirmation is a step backward,”said Curry. “His appointment ensures the perpetuation of pesticide — and fossil-fuel-intensive policies, which undermine global food security and imperil public health and wildlife”
Curry claims Siddiqui permitted sewage sludge-fertilized, genetically modified, and irradiated food to be labeled as organic when working as undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Siddiqui’s egregious actions prompted a concerted public campaign to pressure the government for more rigorous policies.
Last October, The Huffington Post noted statements Siddiqui made as a lobbyist for CropLife, while he was the Department of Agriculture undersecretary for marketing and regulatory programs, and as a senior agricultural trade adviser in the Clinton administration: 
“…he derided the European Union’s ban on hormone-treated beef. According to Reuters, when the French agriculture minister expressed concern that the hormones could cause cancer in 20 to 30 years, Siddiqui reportedly said of the minister, ‘He wanted assurances that 30 years from now, nothing would happen. No one in the scientific community can give you that kind of decision.'”