email from Penn Environment, 3/7/16

Is the USDA silencing scientists?

Here’s the story: Jonathan Lundgren has been at the U.S. Department of Agriculture for 11 years, earning stellar performance reviews along the way. He was so respected the USDA even named him its Outstanding Early Career Research Scientist in 2011. [1]

But once he started documenting the damage pesticides were doing to bees and butterflies, industry lobbyists pressured his agency to look the other way. Since then, he’s been threatened with termination and forced to stop speaking publicly.

Will you take action? Tell the USDA: Suppressing science is unacceptable.

The problem goes beyond Dr. Lundgren’s research. In fact, more than 10 scientists filed a formal petition last year detailing a pattern of harassment for simply doing their jobs. These whistle-blowers claim their work has been censored or suppressed for calling into question the safety of chemicals used widely in agriculture. [2][3]

With bees and butterflies experiencing a steep decline due to systemic pesticides, we can’t let this important research be silenced.

That’s why we’re demanding a full investigation into the influence that corporate polluters are exerting at USDA. Tell the USDA: Suppressing research is wrong — even if it threatens pesticide makers like Bayer and Monsanto.

Especially with bees dying by the millions, we can’t let scientists get silenced. Please take action today.

Thanks,

David Masur
PennEnvironment Director

[1] Bee expert: USDA punished me for research on pesticides, Oct 28 2015, MPR News
[2] Report: USDA scientists harassed for questioning Roundup’s safety, Mar 31 2015, Wisconsin Gazette
[3] Whistle-Blower Claims the USDA Suppressed Research on Bee-Killing Pesticide, Oct 29 2015, takepart