In recent history, Monsanto has been interfering with the rights and freedoms of farmers and consumers. With the lengthy and somewhat dubious history of Monsanto’s chemical-turned seed manufacturing past, it is important that one analyzes Monsanto’s past and present business practices.
Monsanto is like the courtyard bully that ruthlessly takes his peer’s money and relentlessly beats his victims into submission. Since the start up of the company in 1901, Monsanto has travelled down a somewhat unpredictable and destructive path, harming many people in their attempts to “[engage] our communities in a significant and positive manner.”
As can be seen through this company’s interaction with domestic and international communities, Monsanto has succeeded in its goal of being significant. However, this company has made an extremely negative impact on people’s lives due its complete and utter disregard for human life.
In 1901, John Francis Queeny started a company called Monsanto Chemical Works. Queeny later passed the business down to his son, who expanded the company even more. A little over half a century later, Monsanto transferred work sources and money to a new branch of biology engineering. In 1982, with Monsanto’s invention of genetically modified crops, also called GMOs, Monsanto remade the face of its company, shedding its past chemical practices in an attempt to become a trustworthy and reliable biotechnology organization.
Agent Orange: Vietnam, 1962-1971
When the United States became an ally against aggressive communist advances during the Vietnam War, an herbicide called “Agent Orange” was used to make the Vietnamese jungles more navigable. After a few years, illnesses among veterans were noticed, and in 1970 Agent Orange was banned because of its discovered toxicity. Veteran Paul Reutershan filed a 1978 lawsuit against the chemical companies responsible for the toxic spray, one of them being Monsanto. In response to public interest, Reutershan stated with absolute certainty, “I died in Vietnam, but I didn’t even know it.” After various complex judicial proceedings, the chemical companies agreed to settle. These legal proceedings marked the beginning of Monsanto’s reign of legal terror.
Roundup: 1970s
Roundup has been one of the most popular herbicides from the 20th century until present day. Invented by Monsanto, one of the chemicals used in this herbicide is called “glyphosate”. Given all of the backlash from people who were victimized by Agent Orange’s chemicals, it is not surprising to learn that there were also court cases filed because of glyphosate’s toxicity. However, this time Monsanto began strictly enforcing their patents on Roundup, and in 1996, Monsanto began producing Roundup immune crops, such as alfalfa, soybeans, wheat, cotton, and canola. These herbicide resistant crops were given the nickname, “Roundup Ready.” From then on, Monsanto acquired a ruthless reputation due to its covert and menacing lawsuits against rural farmers who violated any patents. Mirroring the ideals of his employers, Monsanto spokesperson Darren Wallis was interviewed with Vanity Fair, and he bluntly stated, “One tool in protecting this investment is patenting our discoveries and, if necessary, legally defending those patents against those who might choose to infringe upon them.”
Monsanto vs. Schmeiser: Canada, 1998-2004
In Saskatchewan, Canada, Monsanto sued small town farmer Percy Schmeiser over whether or not the accused knowingly saved Roundup Ready seeds without proper consent. Although Monsanto won the case in a 5-4 ruling, Schmeiser was a hardworking man who decided that he would not allow an intimidating business to force him out of his livelihood. Interestingly enough, amid Monsanto’s PR claims of being a civil company only interested in combating world hunger, Monsanto had to publicly display their side of the Schmeiser trial by stating on their website that “He [Schmeiser is] simply a patent infringer who knows how to tell a good story.” As you can tell from this statement, Monsanto still does not respect Schmeiser, even though he is now just an estranged customer.
India: 1997-2011
Monsanto has extended its tyrannical seed regime to other corners of the world as well. In India, poor farmers are not exempt from Monsanto’s strict growing guidelines enforced by patents. Each year, poverty-stricken farmers have to repurchase seed for their own crops, instead of keeping the seed to plant again. Many Indian farmers are low-income, and it is a financial struggle to annually purchase Monsanto’s genetically engineered seeds. In fact, according to Forbes Magazine, “a scourge of suicides has claimed the lives of an estimated 250,000 farmers in India.” Suicide among farmers has been a widespread epidemic in India, spanning from 1997 to now. Indian farmers are taking their own lives due to the immense amount of debt they have incurred. Interestingly enough, Monsanto feels no guilt about a quarter of a million people that are struggling with financial debt. In fact, Monsanto states on their website, “Monsanto is committed to helping improve the lives of [Indian] farmers…” However, if Monsanto did truly care about the wellbeing of Indian farmers, then maybe they would stop bullying rural, poverty-stricken farmers into financial submission.
Domestic Dairy Problems: The Milk Battles, 2005-2015
American Monsanto customers are also expected to comply with the same inflexible patents. In addition to various domestic seed battles, Monsanto has waged war on dairy companies simply because these companies informed buyers about what was used in the production of their commercialized milk.
Monsanto invented an artificial growth hormone referred to as rBST or rBGH. In 1993, the FDA, or Federal Department of Agriculture, allowed the hormone to be sold in the United States. In 2005, a dairy farmer named Jeff Kleinpeter started labeling his milk cartons, “From Cows Not Treated with rBGH.” Kleinpeter did this to publicize that absolutely no artificial growth hormones were given to his cows to increase milk production. In addition to the cow’s health concerns when their metabolism is suddenly boosted after getting this hormone, no long-term health studies have been done to prove or disprove that rBGH is safe enough to consume, and Kleinpeter wanted his customers to know that. Since putting this message on Kleinpeter Dairy’s milk cartons, Monsanto has made it their mission to discredit Kleinpeter’s dairy farm. After being thwarted from pursuing Kleinpeter and other dairy farmers legally, Monsanto began working on the state level, and began to put ads online claiming that Kleinpeter was using false statements to increase milk sales.
Aside from the fact that Monsanto’s abrasive and domineering business tactics raise serious humanitarian concerns, this company epitomizes the questionable morality of large businesses that utilize monopolistic practices. Large businesses only thrive off of what people decide to purchase and invest. Any business owes their wealth to those who purchase products; therefore, they should not manipulate their own customers in order to potentially gain even more money. Duke Tagoe, a campaigner for Food Sovereignty Ghana stated that, “The origin of food is seed. Whoever controls the seed control the entire food chain.” Monsanto has earned a reputation of being an evil corporation, yet they still control a vast amount of seed. What does that say about the future of the world’s food production?
