Monsanto's Cruel, and Dangerous, Monopolization on American Farming (2008)
3 hours ago
- Monsanto uses private investigators to surveil and intimidate farmers, seed dealers, and others suspected of patent infringement, often through lawsuits and threats.
- The company genetically modifies seeds to resist its own herbicide Roundup, requiring farmers to sign agreements not to save seeds for replanting, forcing annual purchases.
- Monsanto's aggressive enforcement has led to thousands of investigations and lawsuits, with many farmers settling due to financial pressure, as seen in the Pilot Grove co-op case.
- The company's chemical legacy includes extensive pollution from PCBs and dioxin, contaminating sites like Anniston, Alabama, and Nitro, West Virginia, with ongoing health and environmental impacts.
- Monsanto fights labeling of milk from cows not treated with its artificial growth hormone rBGH, despite consumer demand, and has lobbied against such labels at state and federal levels.
- The 1980 Supreme Court decision allowed patenting of life-forms, enabling Monsanto to dominate global seed production and control food supply, raising concerns about corporate power.