Monsanto

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Food and Farm Discussion Lab's archive of discussions about Monsanto

Why Does Everyone Hate Monsanto? Lessley Anderson; Modern Farmer; 4 Mar 2014

In recent years, no company has been more associated with evil than Monsanto. But why?

Is Monsanto Evil Franklin Veaux; Quora; 27 Jul 2016

I used to believe Monsanto was evil.
Seriously. I've never been impressed by the hysterical anti-GMO rants; they're as uninformed and anti-intellectual as antvaxxers. But I did still buy into the "Monsanto is teh eeeeebil" propaganda. In fact, I wanted to blog about how evil Monsanto was. But, because I like being thorough and citing my sources in my blog posts, I started researching the company's history.

Monsanto: The Gigantic Evil Megacorp (that's actually kinda a pipsqueak) Franklin Veaux; 5 Sep 2014

Among the left-leaning progressives that make up a substantial part of Portland's general population, there is a profound fear of GMO food that's becoming an identity belief--a belief that's held not because it's supported by evidence, but because it helps define membership in a group.
It's frustrating to talk to the anti-GMO crowd, in part because these conversations always involve goalposts whipping around so fast I'm afraid someone will poke my eye out. It generally starts with "I don't like GMOs because food safety," but when you start talking about how evidence to support that position is as thin on the ground as snowmen in the Philippines, the goalposts quickly move to "I don't like GMOs because Monsanto." Monsanto, if you listen to Portland hippies, is a gigantic, evil mega-corporation that controls the government, buys off all the world's scientists, intimidates farmers, and rules supreme over the media.
So I got to thinking, How big is Monsanto? Because it takes quite a lot of money to do the things Monsanto is accused of doing--when they can be done at all, that is.
And I started Googling. The neat thing about publicly-traded corporations is they have to post all their financials. A quick Google search will reveal just how big any public company really is.
I expected to learn that Monsanto was big. I was surprised.
As big companies go, Monsanto is a runt. In terms of gross revenue, it is almost exactly the same size as Whole Foods and Starbucks. It's smaller than The Gap, way smaller than 7-11 and UPS, a tiny fraction of the size of Home Depot, and miniscule compared to Verizon and ExxonMobil.

What’s in a Monsanto Contract? Brian Scott; The Farmer's Life; 9 Feb 2016

International Monsanto Tribunal

International Monsanto Tribunal

No, Monsanto Is Not Going On Trial For Crimes Against Humanity Kavin Senapathy; Forbes; 7 Dec 2015

Monsanto To Go On Fake Trial In Kangaroo Court, But Not Without Opposition Kavin Senapathy; Forbes; 13 Oct 2016

‘Crimes Against Humanity’? Who is behind the International Monsanto Tribunal circus? Julie Kelly; Genetic Literacy Project; 12 Oct 2016

Fake Trials, Brought to You by the Anti-GMO Movement JULIE KELLY; National Review; 11 Oct 2016

The International Monsanto Tribunal is being spearheaded by some of the most notable anti-GMO activists in the world, including Vandana Shiva, a physicist and author who makes lots of money telling phony stories about Indian farmers committing suicide because they planted genetically modified seeds. The stunt (held in a small school in The Hague, not the International Criminal Court) from October 14 to 16 will “hold Monsanto accountable for human-rights violations, for crimes against humanity, and for ecocide.”

Migrant labour

Inside DuPont and Monsanto's Migrant Labor Camps ROBERT HOLLY; In These Times; 20 Sep 2016

An in-depth investigation reveals that multibillion-dollar Big Ag corporations—including DuPont Pioneer and Monsanto—as well as small-scale farmers routinely use labor recruiters who crowd migrant workers in housing riddled with health and safety violations, such as bed bug infestations and a lack of running water. A newly built public database of housing inspection records exposes the dramatic scope of the problem: When state inspectors visit migrant labor camps, they find violations as much as 60 percent of the time.

Discussion on Food and Farm Discussion Lab