— Phil Angell, Monsanto’s Director of Corporate Communications
This quote was published in the October 25, 1998 issue of the New York Times. As horrifying as these words may seem, they are merely the tip of the iceberg.
Monsanto is an American multinational corporation in the field of agricultural bio-engineering (click here for more information). With an $11.822 billion revenue in 2011, Monsanto has a strong grasp on the agriculture worldwide.
A Google search for “Monsanto” provides the auto-complete suggestion “Monsanto evil”. How did Monsanto develop such a reputation? There are a few major reasons:
3) Monsanto uses their patents to bully smaller businesses. GM seeds are often scattered by Monsanto’s transportation trucks and contaminate the crops of smaller farms. Monsanto then takes legal action against said farms (click here for more information).
Monsanto claims that their technology prevents rising crop prices and starvation. They market themselves as a need, when they are possibly a threat! Should we be gambling with the long-term effects of GMOs? Should the government implement anti-GMO policies?
Picture Sources: Google | Eco Watch | Site Maker