AG monopoly /
Monsanto's Ever-Stronger Stranglehold on the Seed Industry
The seeds of Monsanto Company (MON) are everywhere in the typical American diet; in those corn chips, corn flakes and soy milk, yes, but also in the yogurt, hamburger and sausage McMuffin; in the soda, candy bars, barbecue sauce and sandwich bread.
A new investigative report by the Associated Press, based on a series of confidential licensing contracts, reveals that not only are Monsanto-patented genes in 95% of the soybeans and 80% of the corn grown in the U.S., but that the company's control over the seed industry is so ironclad, prices are sure to rise precipitously in the next several years."
-SARAH GILBERT
dailyfinance.com
more,...,
"Heavy-Handed Tactics
Even without the uncertain hazards or long-term benefits, there is Monsanto's unusually heavy-handed application of its intellectual property. One case, against Canadian Percy Schmeiser, a 40-year veteran of canola farming, was particularly colorful. Schmesier says Monsanto's seed "contaminated" his fields; and then, they sued him for stealing their property. (He's not permitted to discuss the case following a settlement he calls a "victory.") Schmeiser's case is one of the most sensational; but a number farmers have been sued for saving seed (Monsanto's agreements prevent this age-old practice) or for simply growing the seed that blew into their fields.
Monsanto is not skilled at making friends (if you want proof, look at Facebook, where Monsanto has 1,056 fans and an anti-Monsanto group has over 48,000 members).
The company even ran a toll-free telephone number that farmers were encouraged to use to turn in neighbors who were saving or stealing seed. Charisma is not its strong suit, and in the court of public opinion, Monsanto has already been found guilty of something. But is it price-fixing? Monopolistic behavior? Most importantly, will these heavy-handed tactics eventually show up as higher prices at the grocery checkout stand?"
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for further info, watch the video: food, inc.
hard to watch, but very informative about how government , justice and the political system works in america. basically he who controls the dollars, he who has the most money, determines justice in america. it's all about money and to hell w/ quality and nutrition.
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"Due to the ubiquity of corn and soy in American grocery items, rising prices for these commodities are often blamed for fluctuations in food prices. Corn sweeteners are found in every aisle of the grocery store, in the majority of foods and shelf-stable soybean oil is found in nearly as many. There is some correlation, but it's more speculation than fact; in actuality, for most of the foods that have corn or soy listed as ingredients, the portion of the products' cost due to either commodity is generally only a few cents (even for corn meal, corn flakes and soy milk). Far more directly correlated with grocery prices? The price of oil, which is needed at all points along the production chain, from fertilizer in the farmer's field, to fuel for the tractor, to plastic for the packaging, to diesel to run the truck that delivers the products to the store.
In a roundabout way, the widespread use of genetically modified seeds whose prices are controlled by a single company must increase the cost of food.
Farmers are prohibited from saving their own seed and are beholden to the company for its pesticide; soil bereft of both helpful and beneficial organisms requires far more fertilizer; the production and transportation of the fertilizer and pesticide and seeds require fossil fuels. Far more external, annual inputs are required in a genetically engineered agricultural system. With the increased use of energy, demand is greater, oil prices go up, climate change is exacerbated, everything gets more expensive.
Even if one is a believer in the revolutionary salvation portended by genetically modified seeds (and Monsanto is the prophet), the basic economic truths are that their use in the majority of farms will, eventually or immediately, make groceries more expensive.
Whether or not Monsanto has done anything illegal or even unethical, I can't see how the company is working for the common good of anyone but its shareholders, its warm and fuzzy taglines notwithstanding." |
