Shuanghui International, a Chinese meat company, purchased Smithfield Meats, America's largest pork industry, for $ 4.7 billion CASH. The Committee on Foreign Investment, however, had stalled this sale while they determined whether or not this takeover will compromise America's security.Apparently the CFIUS was either paid off or bullied into passing this "transaction ," as C. Larry Pope, CEO of Smithfield calls it.
Aside from the risk to our national security, Shuanghui is at the center of horrific scandals for selling tainted pork and passing rat meat off as mutton. The U.S. does NOT import Chinese foods because of China's reputation for lax rules in the food processing industry. Baby formula sold in China contained melamine, and several infants died.
C. Larry Pope, Smithfield's current CEO states that this is a GREAT transaction for the company's SHAREHOLDERS as well as for AMERICAN FARMERS and AGRICULTURE. Pope stands to gain a huge sum of money if this takeover is successful. The US relations with China are already strained. Do we really want them to own the largest pork producer in the US?
Please send an email to CFIUS@treasury.gov. Or call them at: (202) 622-1860. You can also write to them at CFIUS 1500 Pennsylvania Avenue; Washington DC.
It is obviously too late to contact CFIUS because they signed off on the deal. What a betrayal. They don't think this is a risk to our national security? Think again. China is gaining a stronger foothold in America day by day. The trouble with Americans (and I am one) is that we have had the good fortune to live ia a democracy. Few of us have any idea of what it is like to live under Communism. As a teacher of English to refugees, I have heard first hand the horror stories of the Russian, Chinese, Vietnamese and Eastern European people who fled from their Communist-controlled countries. The intellectuals and business owners were severlly punished. Now that China is so rich, they have fooled the world into thinking they are a more "free-trade" "democratic" country. They are Communists, and we Americans may end up fleeing our own country if and when the Communists control the U.S. They spied on our 2008 Presedential Election and recently hacked into our defense agendas. I will boycott Smithfield (which owns Corando's, Armor, and many other labels,) but it won't make a difference. The Chinese wanted Smithfield so they can sell our pork in their country because their factories are filthy. Why didn't they just improve food processing standards or buy pork from America? Smithfield will supply China's giant appetite for pork. The pigs who will benefit from this takeover (shareholders, CEO, and other greedy millionaires) see onlly the dollar sign. Too bad their children's children will be living under Communism, thanks to their greed.
