Thesis: Herbicides such as roundup created by the company Monsanto have posed a serious threat to local farmer's crop, the health of surrounding citizens, the environment, and the food we eat. Monsanto has developed certain ties with the government that have helped protect their overall interests, making them a world dominating food company that is almost impossible to stop.
-Monsanto genetically modified a "round up ready" soybean that is resilient to the herbicide.
-The herbicide and seeds are used world wide. In 2003 the seed occupied 80% of soybean plantings in the USA.
- The seed Monsanto claimed to be environmentally friendly and safe has many flaws.
- Studies were done on sea urchin eggs proving the chemical glifosat used in the roundup promoted cell division dysfunction. Roundup could cause cancer in people that won't be detected for at least 40-60 years.
-Scientist conducting studies were demanded by their company to not report their findings to officials.
- Monsanto was accused of false advertising roundup saying it was 100% biodegradable.
- After 28 days only 2% of roundup broke down in the soil.
-Plants would cross pollinate with neighboring farms, killing all their plants.
For example farmer Percy Shmeiser owned 1400 acres of canola plants that were completely wiped out after cross pollinating with a nearby Monsanto field. Shmeiser tried to sue Monsanto in court. The court ruled in Monsanto's favor. A lot of farmers had no choice but to use Monsanto's seeds to prevent their crops from being destroyed.
- On Monsanto's website they pledge their business will "help farmers in developing countries."
- Monsanto is able to get away with all this damage by having strong ties with the government.
-Monsanto has been described as a “revolving door” when it comes to people who have worked for the company and then in turn start to work for the FDA.
- Micheal Taylor was a partner of a law term who’s main client was the company Monsanto. Taylor was in charge of drafting a proposal as to how the FDA would regulate GMOs like Monsanto’s 50 types of roundup ready seeds. Monsanto’s actions are not being documented and therefore it makes sense for them to spend extra money for their reputation to stay in tact.
Conclusion: Becoming more informed and standing up to this threatening company is the only way that people will be able to break free from all of this damage. Monsanto’s seed is not only in fact dangerous to society but it is a danger to the environment. Learning to rethink and in some cases relearn ways of living without GMOs is the only way to end this corruption.
The company Monsanto is one of the largest and most powerful producers of crops across the world. Their company's promise is to protect the environment and create a healthy crop that will be fed to people around the globe. This in turn should help support local farmers sustain their businesses. Throughout the years there have been studies suggesting that Monsanto has not held true to the promises they have made. Herbicides such as roundup created by Monsanto have posed a serious threat to local farmer's crop, the health of surrounding citizens, the environment and the food we eat. Monsanto has developed certain ties with the government that have helped protect their overall interests, making them a world dominating food company that is almost impossible to stop.
Corruption in this company was shown years before they were known worldwide. Monsanto was involved in the creation of the now illegal chemical PCBs. This chemical was used as an industrial coolant for many years before it became illegal. At the time the company was located in Alabama. In the western poorer part of the city of Aniston the company (without the knowledge of the citizens) disposed of the toxic chemicals in nearby bodies of water and open landfills. The citizens of Anniston used these creeks for fishing, which in turn contaminated the food they eat. The landfills caused the air people were breathing to be toxic and detrimental to their health as well.
Studies have shown Monsanto was aware all along of the dangers of this chemical. An article by Micheal Grunwold a reporter of the Washington Post states “In 1966, Monsanto managers discovered that fish submerged in that creek turned belly-up within 10 seconds, spurting blood and shedding skin as if dunked into boiling water.” One would think after seeing such a horrific sight clearly caused by PCBs Monsanto would have reported something, this however, was not the case.
This hidden secret of Monsanto was finally discovered when the citizens of Anniston began to show symptoms from the deadly PCB chemicals. There are many different types of symptoms developed from PCBs. The most prominent one recorded among the people of Anniston was cancer. Lawyers were sent to court for the people of Anniston. There Monsanto’s only claim was not being able to “afford to loose 1 dollar of business.” (found from an interview in The World According to Monsanto documentary.) Even after Monsanto shared the events with government officials they still weren’t sued, but merely had to pay a 700 million fine for damages. How could the government let a company get away with hundreds of deaths, destroying homes, making surrounding creeks toxic, and polluting the air with deadly chemicals?
Years after the Anniston incident, Monsanto switch from a company producing chemicals, to an agricultural company. Having this background in chemicals is what helped produce the plant killing herbicide roundup also known as the chemical glifosat. In the 1990s roundup was seen as one of the greatest herbicides to be used in the agriculture industry. This was before people knew that the product wasn’t 100% biodegradable. Ads made by the company suggested roundup not only was beneficial in growing plants and allowed little effort from farmers, but that it posed no threat to the environment either. Years later Monsanto was found guilty of false advertisement. The World According to Monsanto documentary film states “only 2% of the roundup product was broken down in 28 days.” This means the herbicide not only exists forever in the soil farmers use for crops, but in the food we eat too.
Roundup is a powerful herbicide that is used to wipe out all types of plants. This is why Monsanto has created a soybean that is genetically modified to be resilient to the roundup. Genetically modified organisms or GMOs are created by transferring genes into the specific organism you are trying to modify. These herbicide seeds accounted for “80% of the plantings in the USA in 2003.” (Thomson, 40). This made Monsanto one of the most dominating companies of agriculture in the world. Only a few years later what seemed like the perfect solution to every farmer turned into a nightmare.
Canola farmer Percy Shmeiser who was involved in growing and studying canola plants for 40 years was effected by the all killing herbicide first hand. An interview with Percy Shmeiser found on www.percyshmeiser.com says Shmeiser “didn’t want genetic modified canola.” All of the research he was involved in was so he could reuse his canola seeds from year to year. Shmeiser recalls the court ruling that “Even if it cross pollinates in your filed, it is still considered Monsanto’s property.” Farmers who specifically weren’t using genetically modified seeds were forced to partake in Monsanto’s constant herbicide sprayings. The roundup destroyed over 1400 acres of plants, leaving all roundup ready seeds untouched. This is how Monsanto was able to take control of farmers across the world. They had to choice but to convert to genetically modified seeds to save their plants and still be able to make a living. Monsanto was impossible to stop in court. A Farmers Fight Back article found on the healthfreedoms.org website records Monsanto admitting to “128 lawsuits against farmers from 1997-2010, settling out of court with 700 others for an undisclosed amount.” Monsanto was such a threat to farmers and was able to use patent infringement to their advantage in many cases. Monsanto has become such a takeover business because of how they are able to use their success to protect their interests. Knowing the company is willing to give up profit to protect their interests makes you wonder what it is they have to hide.
A study conducted by scientist Robert Belle involving sea urchin eggs warned that the chemical glifosat in the herbicide roundup promoted cell division dysfunction. Belle finds in this study that roundup promotes cancer and can be found in a person between 40 to 60 years. Belle was ordered not to report findings to other officials. Roundup continued to dominate the agricultural industry, while the negative effects were hidden from the public eye. The Monsanto objective of controlling food production through “farm less farming” was still becoming a popular idea in farming.
On the Monsanto website they pledge to “help farmers in developing countries.” The “roundup ready soybean” plants would cross pollinate with neighboring farms, which caused their crop to be wiped out. In these developing countries families need this crop to survive. These once diverse environments are slowly being diminished, the herbicide allows no type of plant to stand in its way. The roundup also causes deaths to livestock by contaminating rivers after a rain fall. In third world countries such as Paraguay, people feel forced to move from rural to urban areas with terrible living situations that can be described as slums. These slums to many people serve as a better alternative then the health effects and destruction of land that is caused by the roundup.
Monsanto’s strong ties with the FDA has allowed they to get away with little to no regulation on what they are doing as a company. Monsanto has been described as a “revolving door” when it comes to people who have worked for the company and then in turn start to work for the FDA. Before working for the FDA as deputy of FDA commissions, Micheal Taylor was a partner of a law term who’s main client was the company Monsanto. Taylor was in charge of drafting a proposal as to how the FDA would regulate GMOs like Monsanto’s 50 types of roundup ready seeds. Monsanto’s actions are not being documented and therefore it makes sense for them to spend extra money for their reputation to stay in tact.
In order to stop Monsanto government officials who don’t have relations with the company need to be in charge of regulating the company. In order to end the corruption, scientists need to reevaluate studies done on the seeds used, and chemicals used in their herbicide. This studies then in turn need to brought to the FDA, knowing what the chemicals do to the health of people with give Monsanto less power in the agriculture world.
Not many people are educated on what is actually going on in the company of Monsanto. People who have experienced these fatalities first hand have joined together to help fight against this world dominating industry. There are programs set up across the country against the company’s corruptive ways. Monsanto may be willing to pay the price to keep their secrets hidden but states with proactive groups like California are already trying to get the government to pass laws forcing labels to show the use of these harmful GMOs on the food we eat.
Giving people more awareness to this issue could help gain support for the local food movement. Being one of the largest producers of seeds in the entire world, many people are exposed to the negative effects of GMOs daily. Being more educated on this matter may encourage more people to spend extra money on food that they can ensure has positive as opposed to negative effects on their health.
With the help of connections with FDA officials Monsanto has single handedly been able to take over the world of agriculture as we know it. Monsanto destroys communities, climate biodiversity and natural resources that help people live. Becoming more educated and standing up to this threatening company is the only way that people will be able to break free from all of this damage. Monsanto’s seed is not only in fact dangerous to society but it is a danger to the environment. Learning to rethink and in some cases relearn ways of living without GMOs is the only way to end this corruption.
Bibliography:1)Pascale, Richard T.
Surfing the Edge of Chaos. New York: Crown Business, 2000.
2)The World According to Monsanto. National Film Board of Canada, 2008. DVD.
3)Food, Inc. Dir. Robert Kenner. Perf. Micheal Pollan and Eric Schlosser. Participant Media, 2008. DVD.
4) Www.monsanto.com. Monsanto Company. Web. <www.monsanto.com>.
5)Pollack, Andrew. "Justices Back Monsanto on Biotech Seed Planting."
The New York Times 21 June 2010.
6) Ruse, Michael, and David Castle.
Genetically Modified Foods: Debating Biotechnology. Amherst, NY: Prometheus, 2002
7) Weasel, Lisa H.
Food Fray: inside the Controversy over Genetically Modified Food. New York: Amacom-American Management Association, 2009.
8) Thomson, Jennifer A.
Seeds for the Future: the Impact of Genetically Modified Crops on the Environment. Ithaca, NY: Comstock Associates, 2007.
9) Grunwald, Michael. "Monsanto Hid Decades of Pollution."
The Washington Post [Washington D.C.] 1 Jan. 2002: 1-2.
photo from John Pollack