SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
GMOs As A Corporate Control Tactic
It's impossible to talk about GMO ethics without considering how corporations like Monsanto use GMOs as means of control.
May 29, 2016
Here's the industry spin: the GMO labeling debate boils down to whether or not GMOS (presumably, all of them - from GMO corn to GMO mosquitoes to GMO salmon) are "safe." Safe to eat, safe to live around, safe to widely distribute. A pretty complicated question itself, especially in the United States, where inadequate regulation means wildly different standards for approving different GMO products. This is one reason why we need labeling of GMO foods.
But safety issues are just the tip of the iceberg. Consumer rights, state rights and the overuse of "probably carcinogenic" pesticides like Roundup are all crucial aspects in this debate. They go hand in hand with the massive consolidation within the food industry and a lack of choice at the grocery store.
When biotech companies like Monsanto, Dow, Dupont and Syngenta create GMO seeds, they're also creating entire systems of food production. By creating a suite of products designed to work together - seeds for crops engineered to withstand Roundup, a probably human carcinogen, for example - they're able to control the entire farming cycle and block out competition. Not only that, but the explosion of herbicide-resistant seeds has given way to herbicide-resistant weeds, fueling the growth of "superweeds" and ensuring that farmers must continue to buy increasingly harsh chemicals, often from the same company, to compensate.
Beyond this, seed options are slim. In 2009 in the United States, 93 percent of soybeans and 80 percent of corn were grown with seeds containing Monsanto-patented genetics.
Choice becomes increasingly illusory as mega-mergers become more common -Monsanto may soon merge with Bayer, and a Dow-Dupont merger was announced and remains on the table. (Agricultural chemical giant ChemChina is also in the process of acquiring Syngenta, for a cool $43 billion). And the dominance of GMOs makes things harder for those who go organic, since organic and non-GMO farmers have to spend time and money to prevent GMO contamination of their fields by crops from nearby farms.
Take action to block the Dow-Dupont Merger
Meanwhile, the power and influence of these huge corporations have spread beyond the agriculture industry to political campaigns and regulatory processes around the world. Mounting allegations of scientific censorship at the USDA point to the agency making decisions to appease companies like Monsanto. And in 2010, we found that top food and agricultural biotechnology interests spent more than half a billion dollars lobbying Congress between 1999 and 2009 and more than $22 million in campaign contributions.
Agrichemical heavyweights are spending millions to make it hard for us to know if GMOs are in our food. And if we don't know where our food is coming from, we don't know how little choice we have about what we eat - or what chemicals are being used to grow it.
Right now, a bill in the Senate would outlaw state GMO labeling laws. It's up to us to make sure our elected officials don't support this Monsanto giveaway:
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
© 2021 Food & Water Watch
Kiley Fisher
As the Social Engagement Coordinator at Food & Water Watch, Kiley is responsible for creating and contributing to digital content with an emphasis on social media campaigns.
Here's the industry spin: the GMO labeling debate boils down to whether or not GMOS (presumably, all of them - from GMO corn to GMO mosquitoes to GMO salmon) are "safe." Safe to eat, safe to live around, safe to widely distribute. A pretty complicated question itself, especially in the United States, where inadequate regulation means wildly different standards for approving different GMO products. This is one reason why we need labeling of GMO foods.
But safety issues are just the tip of the iceberg. Consumer rights, state rights and the overuse of "probably carcinogenic" pesticides like Roundup are all crucial aspects in this debate. They go hand in hand with the massive consolidation within the food industry and a lack of choice at the grocery store.
When biotech companies like Monsanto, Dow, Dupont and Syngenta create GMO seeds, they're also creating entire systems of food production. By creating a suite of products designed to work together - seeds for crops engineered to withstand Roundup, a probably human carcinogen, for example - they're able to control the entire farming cycle and block out competition. Not only that, but the explosion of herbicide-resistant seeds has given way to herbicide-resistant weeds, fueling the growth of "superweeds" and ensuring that farmers must continue to buy increasingly harsh chemicals, often from the same company, to compensate.
Beyond this, seed options are slim. In 2009 in the United States, 93 percent of soybeans and 80 percent of corn were grown with seeds containing Monsanto-patented genetics.
Choice becomes increasingly illusory as mega-mergers become more common -Monsanto may soon merge with Bayer, and a Dow-Dupont merger was announced and remains on the table. (Agricultural chemical giant ChemChina is also in the process of acquiring Syngenta, for a cool $43 billion). And the dominance of GMOs makes things harder for those who go organic, since organic and non-GMO farmers have to spend time and money to prevent GMO contamination of their fields by crops from nearby farms.
Take action to block the Dow-Dupont Merger
Meanwhile, the power and influence of these huge corporations have spread beyond the agriculture industry to political campaigns and regulatory processes around the world. Mounting allegations of scientific censorship at the USDA point to the agency making decisions to appease companies like Monsanto. And in 2010, we found that top food and agricultural biotechnology interests spent more than half a billion dollars lobbying Congress between 1999 and 2009 and more than $22 million in campaign contributions.
Agrichemical heavyweights are spending millions to make it hard for us to know if GMOs are in our food. And if we don't know where our food is coming from, we don't know how little choice we have about what we eat - or what chemicals are being used to grow it.
Right now, a bill in the Senate would outlaw state GMO labeling laws. It's up to us to make sure our elected officials don't support this Monsanto giveaway:
Kiley Fisher
As the Social Engagement Coordinator at Food & Water Watch, Kiley is responsible for creating and contributing to digital content with an emphasis on social media campaigns.
Here's the industry spin: the GMO labeling debate boils down to whether or not GMOS (presumably, all of them - from GMO corn to GMO mosquitoes to GMO salmon) are "safe." Safe to eat, safe to live around, safe to widely distribute. A pretty complicated question itself, especially in the United States, where inadequate regulation means wildly different standards for approving different GMO products. This is one reason why we need labeling of GMO foods.
But safety issues are just the tip of the iceberg. Consumer rights, state rights and the overuse of "probably carcinogenic" pesticides like Roundup are all crucial aspects in this debate. They go hand in hand with the massive consolidation within the food industry and a lack of choice at the grocery store.
When biotech companies like Monsanto, Dow, Dupont and Syngenta create GMO seeds, they're also creating entire systems of food production. By creating a suite of products designed to work together - seeds for crops engineered to withstand Roundup, a probably human carcinogen, for example - they're able to control the entire farming cycle and block out competition. Not only that, but the explosion of herbicide-resistant seeds has given way to herbicide-resistant weeds, fueling the growth of "superweeds" and ensuring that farmers must continue to buy increasingly harsh chemicals, often from the same company, to compensate.
Beyond this, seed options are slim. In 2009 in the United States, 93 percent of soybeans and 80 percent of corn were grown with seeds containing Monsanto-patented genetics.
Choice becomes increasingly illusory as mega-mergers become more common -Monsanto may soon merge with Bayer, and a Dow-Dupont merger was announced and remains on the table. (Agricultural chemical giant ChemChina is also in the process of acquiring Syngenta, for a cool $43 billion). And the dominance of GMOs makes things harder for those who go organic, since organic and non-GMO farmers have to spend time and money to prevent GMO contamination of their fields by crops from nearby farms.
Take action to block the Dow-Dupont Merger
Meanwhile, the power and influence of these huge corporations have spread beyond the agriculture industry to political campaigns and regulatory processes around the world. Mounting allegations of scientific censorship at the USDA point to the agency making decisions to appease companies like Monsanto. And in 2010, we found that top food and agricultural biotechnology interests spent more than half a billion dollars lobbying Congress between 1999 and 2009 and more than $22 million in campaign contributions.
Agrichemical heavyweights are spending millions to make it hard for us to know if GMOs are in our food. And if we don't know where our food is coming from, we don't know how little choice we have about what we eat - or what chemicals are being used to grow it.
Right now, a bill in the Senate would outlaw state GMO labeling laws. It's up to us to make sure our elected officials don't support this Monsanto giveaway:
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.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy