Organic Consumers Association: Millions Against Monsanto

[Guest guest]

Organic Consumers Association

Campaigning for Food Safety, Organic Agriculture, Fair Trade &

Sustainability

 

 

 

Millions Against Monsanto

Biotech, Biotechnology, Roundup Ready, Soybeans, seed saving,

genetically modified

 

If you're talking about PCBs, Agent Orange, Bovine Growth Hormone,

water privatization, biopiracy, untested/unlabeled genetically

engineered organisms, or persecuting small family farmers, you're

talking about the Monsanto Corporation.

 

Join OCA's campaign to mobilize one million consumers to end

Monsanto's global corporate terrorism.

 

Send an instant fax to Monsanto, demanding the corporation:

 

* Stop intimidating small family farmers.

 

* Stop force-feeding untested and unlabeled genetically engineered

foods on consumers.

 

* Stop using billions of dollars of U.S. taypayers' money to

subsidize genetically engineered crops--cotton, soybeans, corn, and

canola.

 

Quick Monsanto Tidbits on this Page:

 

* Monsanto Brings Small Family Dairy to Court

* Multi-Billion$$ Monsanto Sues More Small Family Farmer

* Monsanto Hid PCB Pollution for Decade

* Monsanto Claims its Agent Orange chemical isn't Toxi

* Taxpayers Forced to Fund Monsanto's Poisoning of Third World

* Monsanto Takes Ownership of Public Water Resource

* Monsanto's GE Seeds are Pushing US Agriculture into Bankruptcy

* Monsanto's Ties to Government

* Organic and Natural Product Companies Associated with Monsanto

 

Multi-Billion$$ Monsanto Sues More Small Family Farmers

 

Percy Schmeiser is a farmer from Saskatchewan Canada whose Canola

fields were contaminated with Monsanto's genetically engineered

Round-Up Ready Canola by pollen from a nearby farm. Monsanto says it

doesn't matter how the contamination took place, and is therefore

demanding Schmeiser pay their Technology Fee (the fee farmers must pay

to grow Monsanto's genetically engineered products). According to

Schmeiser, " I never had anything to do with Monsanto, outside of

buying chemicals. I never signed a contract. If I would go to St.

Louis (Monsanto Headquarters) and contaminate their plots--destroy

what they have worked on for 40 years--I think I would be put in jail

and the key thrown away. "

 

Rodney Nelson's family farm is being forced into a similar lawsuit by

Monsanto. Support Schmeiser, Nelson and hundreds of other family

farmers who are being forced to pay Monsanto to have their fields

contaminated by genetically modifeid organisms. Sign OCA's " Millions

Against Monsanto " petition. These petitions will be physically

delivered to Monsanto and related court hearings.

 

Monsanto Brings Small Family Dairy to Court

 

Oakhurst Dairy has been owned and operated by the same Maine family

since 1921, and Monsanto recently attempted to put them out of

business. Oakhurst, like many other dairy producers in the U.S., has

been responding to consumer demand to provide milk free of rBGH, a

synthetic hormone banned (for health reasons) in every industrialized

country other than the U.S. Monsanto, the number one producer of the

rBGH synthetic steroid, sued Oakhurst, claiming they should not have

the right to inform their customers that their dairy products do not

contain the Monsanto chemical. Given the intense pressure from the

transnational corporation, Oakhurst was forced to settle out of court,

leaving many other dairies vulnerable to similar attacks from Monsanto.

 

Monsanto Hid PCB Pollution for Decades

 

ANNISTON, Ala. -- On the west side of Anniston, the poor side of

Anniston, the people grew berries in their gardens, raised hogs in

their back yards, caught bass in the murky streams where their

children swam and played and were baptized. They didn't know their

dirt and yards and bass and kids -- along with the acrid air they

breathed -- were all contaminated with toxic chemicals. They didn't

know they lived in one of the most polluted patches of America.

 

Now they know. They also know that for nearly 40 years, while

producing the now-banned industrial coolants known as PCBs at a local

factory, Monsanto Co. routinely discharged toxic waste into a west

Anniston creek and dumped millions of pounds of PCBs into oozing

open-pit landfills. And thousands of pages of Monsanto documents --

many emblazoned with warnings such as " CONFIDENTIAL: Read and Destroy "

-- show that for decades, the corporate-giant concealed what it did

and what it knew... (Read more...)

 

Monsanto's Agent Orange:

The Corporation Continues to Refuse Compensation to

Veterans and Families for Exposure to the Toxic Chemical

 

The negative health effects, due to exposure to Monsanto's Agent

Orange, have been well documented over the past three decades. The

dioxin in Agent Orange has been accepted internationally as one of the

most toxic chemicals on the planet, causing everything from severe

birth defects, to cancer, to neurological disorders, to death. But

Monsanto has successfully blocked any major movement towards

compensating veterans and civilians who were exposed to the company's

Agent Orange.

 

Long before Agent Orange was used as a herbicide in the Vietnam war,

Monsanto knew of its negative health impacts on humans. Since then,

Monsanto has been unsuccessful at covering its tracks and has even

been convicted of fabricating false research documentation that claims

Agent Orange has no negative health effects, other than a possible

skin rash. Thanks to Monsanto's influence, the Center for Disease

Control also released a report claiming veterans were never exposed to

harmful levels of Agent Orange.

 

As a note, from 1962 to 1970, the US military sprayed 72 million

liters of herbicides, mostly Agent Orange, on over one million

Vietnamese civilians and over 100,000 U.S. troops. As a result, within

ten years of the close of the war, 9170 veterans had filed claims for

disabilities caused by Agent Orange. The VA denied compensation to

7709, saying that a facial rash was the only disease associated with

exposure.

 

In 2002, Vietnam requested assistance in dealing with the tens of

thousands of birth defects due to Agent Orange. In order to avoid

medical compensation expenses, Monsanto continues to claim this now

banned chemical is not toxic. (Read more..)

 

 

 

Taxpayers Forced to Fund Monsanto's Poisoning of Third World

 

Monsanto has also been implicated in the indiscriminate sale and use

of RoundUp Ultra in the anti-drug fumigation efforts of Plan Colombia.

Of the some $1.3 billion of taxpayers' money earmarked for Plan

Colombia, Monsanto has received upwards of $25 million for poviding

RoundUp Ultra.

Banana crops damaged by Monsanto's Roundup Ultra.

 

RoundUp Ultra is a highly concentrated version of Monsanto's

glyphosate herbicide, with additional surfactants to increases its

lethality. Local communities and human rights organizations charge

that Ultra is destroying food crops, water sources and protected areas

in the Andes, primarily Colombia.

 

Paradoxically, the use of RoundUp Ultra has actually increased coca

cultivation in the Andes. As local farming communities are

increasingly impacted by RoundUp Ultra fumigations, many turn to the

drug trade as a means of economic survival. Regional NGOs have

estimated that almost 200,000 hectares have been fumigated with Ultra

under Plan Colombia.

 

Monsanto's Roundup Pesticide Linked to Cancer

 

Monsanto also produces the most commonly used broadleaf pesticide in

the world, glyphosate--or Roundup. In addition to its inherent

toxicity as a chemical pesticide, Roundup has now been found to aid

the spread of fusarium head blight in wheat. This disease creates a

toxin in the infected wheat, making the crop unsuitable for human or

animal consumption. Canada's wheat industry is currently being ravaged

by this disease. At the same time, the widespread use of Roundup has

resulted in the formation of " super weeds " --- unwanted plants that

have developed an immunity to these pesticides. Read study linking

Monsanto's Roundup to Cancer.

 

Monsanto Takes Ownership of Public Water Resources

 

Over the past century, global water supplies have been contaminated

with the full gamut of Monsanto's chemicals, including PCBs, dioxin

and glyophosate (Roundup). So now the company, seeing a profitable

market niche, is taking control of the public water resources they

polluted, filtering it, and selling it back to the people. In short,

Monsanto is making a double profit by polluting the world's scarce

freshwater resources, privately taking ownership of that water,

filtering it, and selling it back to those who can afford to pay for it.

 

Monsanto's GE Seeds are Pushing

US Agriculture into Bankruptcy

 

Genetically engineered crops are causing an economic disaster for

farmers in the U.S. So says a new report released by Britain's Soil

Association. The report is a massive compilation of data showing GE

crops have cost American taxpayers $12 billion in farm subsidies in

the past three years. " Within a few years of the introduction of GM

crops, almost the entire $300 million annual US maize exports to the

EU had disappeared, and the US share of the soya market had

decreased, " the report said. In addition, the study says that GE crops

have lead to an increased use of pesticides, while resulting in

overall lower crop yields. (Read more...)

 

Cotton Farmers Going Bankrupt from Monsanto's GE Cotton

 

In India the financial figures for the recent cotton growing season

have finally been crunched. Although Monsanto convinced many of

India's farmers that buying the more expensive GE cotton seeds would

result in higher yields and better cotton, the reverse is actually

true. Crop yields for GE cotton were 5 TIMES LESS than traditional

Indian cotton and the income from GE cotton was 7 TIMES LESS than

conventional cotton, due to Monsanto's cotton having lower quality

short fibers. As a result of the insurmountable deluge of debt accrued

from paying more for the GE seeds and having a weak crop, more than

100 Indian farmers committed suicide in the last year. (Read more...)

 

Wheat Farmers Say No to Monsanto's GE Wheat

 

The Washington Post and other major publications have been

highlighting a massive new movement of conventional and organic

farmers who are working together to pass state legislation that would

put a moratorium on Monsanto's new genetically engineered wheat. North

Dakota farmers recently met with Monsanto representatives to express

their concerns about the new crop. Steven Pollestad, a conventional

farmer, said, " The foreign buyers have flat out said they won't buy

it. And I believe they won't. " (Read more...)

 

Japan has announced to the US that if GE wheat is approved here, it is

likely they will completely discontinue importing wheat from American

farmers. This makes up a total of 2.5 million tons of US grown wheat

each year---enough to put thousands of family farmers out of business.

Similarly, South Korean officials gave the US similar warnings in May

2003. In the meantime, Monsanto continues to test its new GE wheat in

fields across the US, despite staunch farmer opposition throughout

North America. (Read more...)

 

Meanwhile, Scientists from the University of Manitoba have released a

report indicating, " Under current conditions the release of Roundup

Ready wheat in Western Canada would be environmentally unsafe. " (Read

more...) Despite the landslide of data revealing probable negative

impacts on the environment, the economy and human health, the FDA is

posed to approve Monsanto's GE wheat. Why? Read on...

 

Monsanto's Government Ties

 

A Monsanto official told the New York Times that the corporation

should not have to take responsibility for the safety of its food

products. " Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech

food, " said Phil Angell, Monsanto's director of corporate

communications. " Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible.

Assuring its safety is the FDA's job. "

 

It would be nice to think the FDA can be trusted with these matters,

but think again. Monsanto has succeeded in insuring that government

regulatory agencies let Monsanto do as it wishes. Take a look:

Prior to being the Supreme Court Judge who put GW Bush in

office,Clarence Thomas was Monsanto's lawyer.

 

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (Anne Veneman) was on the Board ofs of Monsanto's Calgene Corporation.

The Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld) was on the Board ofs of Monsanto's Searle pharmaceuticals.

 

 

The U.S. Secretary of Health, Tommy Thompson, received $50,000 in

donations from Monsanto during his winning campaign for Wisconsin's

governor.

The two congressmen receiving the most donations from Monsanto during

the last election were Larry Combest (Chairman of the House

Agricultural Committee) and Attorney General John Ashcroft. (Source:

Dairy Education Board)

 

In order for the FDA to determine if Monsanto's growth hormones were

safe or not, Monsanto was required to submit a scientific report on

that topic. Margaret Miller, one of Monsanto's researchers put the

report together. Shortly before the report submission, Miller left

Monsanto and was hired by the FDA. Her first job for the FDA was to

determine whether or not to approve the report she wrote for Monsanto.

In short, Monsanto approved its own report. Assisting Miller was

another former Monsanto researcher, Susan Sechen. Deciding whether or

not rBGH-derived milk should be labeled fell under the jurisdiction of

another FDA official, Michael Taylor, who previously worked as a

lawyer for Monsanto.

Organic and Natural Product Companies

Associated with Monsanto

 

•Brand Name(s): Arrowhead Mills, Bearitos, Breadshop, Celestial

Seasonings, Earth's Best Baby Food, Garden of Eatin, Health Valley,

Imagine Foods, Terra Chips, Westbrae, Millina's, Mountain Sun, Shari

Ann's, Walnut Acres Owned By: Hain Food Group Principle Stockholders:

Bank of America, Entergy Nuclear, ExxonMobil, H.J. Heinz, Lockheed

Martin, Merck, Monsanto, Pfizer, Philip Morris, Walmart, Waste

Mangement Inc. Significantly Owned By: Citigroup

 

•Brand Name(s): Cascadian Farms, Muir Glen Owned By: Small Planet

Foods Principle Stockholders: General Mills Significantly Owned By:

Alcoa, Chevron, Disney, Dupont, ExxonMobil, General Electric,

McDonalds, Monsanto, Nike, Pepsico, Pfizer, Philip Morris, Starbucks,

Target, Texas Instruments

 

For more background information on who owns what in the organics

industry,

 

News --- Monsanto

 

2003

 

* 12/27 - Weed Resistance Threatens Monsanto's GE Crops

* 12/24 - Organic Farmers Lawsuit Against Monsanto Moves Forward

* 12/23 - Monsanto President Verfaillie Resigns

* 12/22 - Consumer Opposition Puts Monsanto Frankenlettuce on Hold

* 11/7 - Monsanto Announces Losses Due To Lower Sales of Toxic

Pesticides

* 10/25 - Monsanto Drops Pursuit of Approval For Frankenlawns

* 10/21 - Monsanto's Roundup Herbicide Threatens Public Health

* 10/15 - Monsanto Having Major Difficulties

* 9/27 -St. Louis Newspaper Predicts Monsanto May Lose on Oregon

Labeling

* 9/25 - Canadian Farmer Sued By Monsanto

* 9/23 - Monsanto & Allies Spending Millions to Stop Oregon

Labeling Initiative

* 9/15 - Monsanto's Latest Dirty Tricks in the Philippines

* 9/12 - Monsanto Admits Defeat on Getting New Frankencrops Approvals

* 8/19 - Monsanto Admits Defeats in EU and Brazil

* 8/1 - Is Monsanto Poisoning Consumers with Pesticide Residues

* 7/31 - Global Resistance Forces Monsanto to Drop GE Wheat

* 7/31 - Monsanto Bows to Pressure on GE Wheat

* 7/16 - Shareholders Losing Confidence in Monsanto

* 6/28 - Canada Organic Farmers Lawsuit Against Monsanto Moves Forward

* 6/26 - Monsanto Bribing Wheat Farmers in Upper Midwest

* 6/12 - Monsanto's Profits Take a Dive

* 5/14- Monsanto's GE Corn PR Blitz

* 5/12- Monsanto's New Smiley Mask

* 5/3- Monsanto's World Conquest Plan Moving Forward?

* 4/15- Illegal Variety of Monsanto's Canola in US Food Supply

* - Monsanto's Canola Seed Contaminated With Unapproved Varieties

* 4/12- Schmeiser Versus Monsanto

* 3/31- Britons Ask Will Monsanto Conquer the World?

* 3/29- Canadian Farmers Sue to Stop Monsanto's GE Wheat

* 3/5- Brazil Burns 21 Tons of Monsanto's Illegal GE Seed

* 2/27- Monsanto Ordered To Pay Health Damages

* 2/18 - Monsanto's Seed Police Keep Harassing US Farmers

* 2/1- Wall Street Analyst Predicts Less Profits for Monsanto

* 1/28- Canadian Organic Farmers Sue Monsanto & Aventis

* 1/24- Farmers Worry Monsanto's New GE Alfalfa Will Contaminate

Their Crops

* 1/11- State Dept Helps Monsanto Cover Up Fallout from Biowarfare

in Colombia

* 1/11 - Canadian Organic Farmers Sue Monsanto for Genetic Pollution

* 1/10 - Canadian TV Documents Monsanto Bullying of Farmers

* 1/10 - North American Farmers Wary Over Monsanto's GE Roundup

Ready Wheat

* 1/9- Ex Greenpeace Leader in UK Joins Monsanto's PR Firm

 

 

Links Top

 

* Disinfopedia on Monsanto

* Lawsuit site: How pressure from Monsanto led Fox TV to fire two

of its award-winning reporters and sweep under the rug much of what

they discovered about rBGH but were never allowed to broadcast.

* Spanish version of the special issue on Monsanto from The Ecologist

* Interage - a site with some resources about Monsanto

 

 

 

 

News | Campaigns | GE Food | Organics | Irradiation | Find Organics |

Events

Mad Cow | Globalization | Cloning | rBGH | Food Safety | Newsletter |

Search

Volunteer | Donate | About | Home | Recommend Site | Email This Page |

Site Map

 

Organic Consumers Association

6101 Cliff Estate Rd, Little Marais, MN 55614

E-mail:Staff · Activist or Media Inquiries: 218-226-4164 · Fax:

218-353-7652

Please support our work. Send a tax-deductible donation to the OCA