Cargill
From SourceWatch
 | This article is part of the Global corporations portal on SourceWatch. |
Cargill is the second largest private corporation in the U.S., after Koch Industries. It deals in grain, cotton, sugar, petroleum trading, financial trading, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, animal feed, processed foods and and meat packing under its Excel division. [1]
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Overview
Cargill is the largest supplier of grains in the world. It is the world's second largest supplier of animal feed and the second largest supplier for food and industrial starches. The company is also the second largest meat packer in the U.S., after Tyson Foods. Excel was bought by Cargill in 1979 and has divisions in Austrialia and Canada. The company also owns Caprock, a large beef feedlot operation. Cargill is the second largest turkey processor in the U.S. The company owns 'Sunny Fresh' egg products and 'Empack Foods', a meat processing company. It also owns 'Wisepack Transport', a refrigerated trucking company which transports Empack Foods and Wisconsin products across the United States. [2]
In a weekly review of lobbying in various industries The Hill said, "Privately held Cargill is a behemoth in ag circles. The company’s revenues nearly reached $63 billion in 2004. [3] James R. Cargill, is listed in Forbes list of richest Americans as having a net worth of $1.5 billion. He is the 79-year-old grandson of the founder of Cargill, William R. Cargill and inherited his wealth. The family no longer runs the company but is thought to own about 90% of the stock. [4]
Sierra Club's "Ten Least Wanted" list
In 2002, Cargill made the Sierra Club's "Ten Least Wanted" list.
Just weeks after the second-largest beef recall in history, the Sierra Club released a report on hundreds of criminal and civil violations of America's largest corporate factory farms. The Rap sheet documented convictions for animal cruelty, bribery, records destruction, fraud, worker endangerment and pollution.
- "Despite repeated violations of environmental and public health laws, many of the companies highlighted in the Rap Sheets continue to receive millions of dollars every year from the School Lunch Program and other federal food assistance programs." [5]
Cargill Animal Nutrition Young Scientist Award
Lance Baumgard, PhD received the 2007 Cargill "Animal Nutrition Young Scientist Award". Dr. Baumgard "writes and speaks on the weak connection between dietary fat and human disease." [6]
Political contributions
Warren R. Staley, Chairman of Cargill, is a Bush Ranger having raised at least $200,000 for Bush in the 2004 presidential election. [7] Cargill gave $223,000 to federal candidates in the 2006 election through its political action committee - 21% to Democrats and 78% to Republicans. [8]
Lobbying
The company spent $240,000 in the first part of 2004 to lobby on issues such as the Clean Air Act, the energy bill and corporate tax modifications." [9] The company spent $400,000 for lobbying in 2006. $100,00 went to two lobbying firms with the remainder being spent using in-house lobbyists. [10]
Cargill is a member of the American Meat Institute and the Meat Promotion Coalition.
Personnel
Key executives
- Warren R. Staley, Chairman
- Gregory R. (Greg) Page, President and CEO
- William W. Veazey, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer [11]
Former executives
- Whitney MacMillan - chairman emeritus
- Kerry Hawkins - former president
Contact
15407 McGinty Rd. West
Wayzata, MN 55391
Phone: 952-742-7575
Fax: 952-742-7393
Web address: http://www.cargill.com
Articles & sources
Related sourcewatch articles
- American Meat Institute
- Center for Consumer Freedom
- Devry Boughner
- Meat & Dairy industry
- Meat Promotion Coalition
- Pharmaceutical industry
- Processed food industry
- War on Animals
- U.S. Government's War on Animals
- Cargill Eddyville Power Plant
References
- ↑ Cargill Profile, Hoovers, accessed August 2007.
- ↑ Steve Hannaford Oligopoly Brief: Cargill, Oligopoly Watch, updated September 2007
- ↑ Business & Lobbying", The Hill, December 8, 2004.
- ↑ N.S. Gill, "Forbes 2006 - World's Richest in Minnesota", About.com, accessed August 2007.
- ↑ Report and Online Database Document Animal Cruelty, Pollution Spills, Indiana Sierra, Fall 2002
- ↑ NAIA Officers & Board Members, National Animal Interest Alliance, accessed September 2009
- ↑ Pioneers and Rangers, Texans for Public Justice, accessed August 2007.
- ↑ 2006 PAC Summary Data, Open Secrets, accessed August 2007.
- ↑ Business & Lobbying", The Hill, December 8, 2004.
- ↑ Cargill lobbying expenses, Open Secrets.
- ↑ Cargill Key Executives, Hoovers, accessed August 2007.
External articles
- David E. Gumpert & William Pentland, USDA Bets the Farm on Animal ID Program, The Nation, December 2007.
