Glyphosate--designated a probable carcinogen by the WHO--is the active ingredient of Roundup, a weed killer produced by Monsanto, which merged with Germany's Bayer last year. (Photo: Mike Mozart/Flickr/cc)
Aug 28, 2019
Leaked emails from scientists working with agrichemical giant Monsanto feature company leaders in 2013 wishing they could "beat the shit out of" advocacy group Moms Across America.
Moms Across America wrote an open letter asking Monsanto to discontinue the use of the pesticide glyphosate--which some research has tied to cancers--and to stop producing genetically modified seeds that was seen by company executives as a public relations disaster.
"I have been arguing for a week to beat the shit out of them and I have clearly lost," Monsanto's Dr. Daniel Goldstein wrote to University of Georgia crop scientist Wayne Parrott and University of Illinois biochemist Bruce Chassy. "We don't want to be seen as beating up on mothers."
The emails were released as part of litigation relating to the cancer-causing effects of glysophate against Monsanto's now-parent company Bayer.
"There you have it," tweeted rePlant Capital vice president Robyn O'Brien.
The emails, New York Times reporter Eric Lipton said on Twitter, show "how Monsanto worked to try to influence public opinion, in alliance with academics who it sometimes helped fund."
\u201cThis email is part of a large collection of documents made public through the lawsuit. Demonstrates how Monsanto worked to try to influence public opinion, in alliance with academics who it sometimes helped fund. Here is link to the whole cache of docs https://t.co/93Iw2JmzGM\u201d— Eric Lipton (@Eric Lipton) 1567023010
In a statement, green advocacy organization the Environmental Working Group's president Ken Cook said the emails revealed "the utter contempt that Monsanto has for public health and for consumers, including mothers who only want to protect their kids' health."
"Bayer is reeling from its monumental blunder of buying Monsanto," said Cook, "and these emails should remind them that they acquired the company that gave us DDT, Agent Orange, and PCBs."
Join Us: News for people demanding a better world
Common Dreams is powered by optimists who believe in the power of informed and engaged citizens to ignite and enact change to make the world a better place. We're hundreds of thousands strong, but every single supporter makes the difference. Your contribution supports this bold media model—free, independent, and dedicated to reporting the facts every day. Stand with us in the fight for economic equality, social justice, human rights, and a more sustainable future. As a people-powered nonprofit news outlet, we cover the issues the corporate media never will. Join with us today! |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Leaked emails from scientists working with agrichemical giant Monsanto feature company leaders in 2013 wishing they could "beat the shit out of" advocacy group Moms Across America.
Moms Across America wrote an open letter asking Monsanto to discontinue the use of the pesticide glyphosate--which some research has tied to cancers--and to stop producing genetically modified seeds that was seen by company executives as a public relations disaster.
"I have been arguing for a week to beat the shit out of them and I have clearly lost," Monsanto's Dr. Daniel Goldstein wrote to University of Georgia crop scientist Wayne Parrott and University of Illinois biochemist Bruce Chassy. "We don't want to be seen as beating up on mothers."
The emails were released as part of litigation relating to the cancer-causing effects of glysophate against Monsanto's now-parent company Bayer.
"There you have it," tweeted rePlant Capital vice president Robyn O'Brien.
The emails, New York Times reporter Eric Lipton said on Twitter, show "how Monsanto worked to try to influence public opinion, in alliance with academics who it sometimes helped fund."
\u201cThis email is part of a large collection of documents made public through the lawsuit. Demonstrates how Monsanto worked to try to influence public opinion, in alliance with academics who it sometimes helped fund. Here is link to the whole cache of docs https://t.co/93Iw2JmzGM\u201d— Eric Lipton (@Eric Lipton) 1567023010
In a statement, green advocacy organization the Environmental Working Group's president Ken Cook said the emails revealed "the utter contempt that Monsanto has for public health and for consumers, including mothers who only want to protect their kids' health."
"Bayer is reeling from its monumental blunder of buying Monsanto," said Cook, "and these emails should remind them that they acquired the company that gave us DDT, Agent Orange, and PCBs."
Leaked emails from scientists working with agrichemical giant Monsanto feature company leaders in 2013 wishing they could "beat the shit out of" advocacy group Moms Across America.
Moms Across America wrote an open letter asking Monsanto to discontinue the use of the pesticide glyphosate--which some research has tied to cancers--and to stop producing genetically modified seeds that was seen by company executives as a public relations disaster.
"I have been arguing for a week to beat the shit out of them and I have clearly lost," Monsanto's Dr. Daniel Goldstein wrote to University of Georgia crop scientist Wayne Parrott and University of Illinois biochemist Bruce Chassy. "We don't want to be seen as beating up on mothers."
The emails were released as part of litigation relating to the cancer-causing effects of glysophate against Monsanto's now-parent company Bayer.
"There you have it," tweeted rePlant Capital vice president Robyn O'Brien.
The emails, New York Times reporter Eric Lipton said on Twitter, show "how Monsanto worked to try to influence public opinion, in alliance with academics who it sometimes helped fund."
\u201cThis email is part of a large collection of documents made public through the lawsuit. Demonstrates how Monsanto worked to try to influence public opinion, in alliance with academics who it sometimes helped fund. Here is link to the whole cache of docs https://t.co/93Iw2JmzGM\u201d— Eric Lipton (@Eric Lipton) 1567023010
In a statement, green advocacy organization the Environmental Working Group's president Ken Cook said the emails revealed "the utter contempt that Monsanto has for public health and for consumers, including mothers who only want to protect their kids' health."
"Bayer is reeling from its monumental blunder of buying Monsanto," said Cook, "and these emails should remind them that they acquired the company that gave us DDT, Agent Orange, and PCBs."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.