You may not have heard that our highly esteemed research institution—the CSIRO—is teaming up with one of the world’s most hated multinationals. The CSIRO brand was instrumental in making its diet book a number-one best seller. Bio-tech GM companies including Monsanto are using that positive association as a Trojan horse in an attempt to re-introduce GM wheat again to the world. The outcry amongst Canadian farmers when they first proposed genetically modified wheat was so deafening that Monsanto then promised to give up GM wheat. CSIRO’s approval of GM wheat trials occurred when Monsanto’s exclusive distributor of Roundup-ready technology, Nufarm, provided two members to CSIRO’s board.
If News Corp is considered unfit to hold a satellite TV licence following its phone tapping catastrophe, shouldn’t CSIRO begin to explore whether Monsanto is a fit, proper and ethical partner?
Monsanto’s calling card
If Monsanto called at your home its list of convictions would make you shudder.
Its first product was aspartame (saccharine), an artifical sweetener it sold to Coca Cola. Then came infamous DDT that began the environmental movement, and 245T which was dubbed ‘Agent Orange’ and mass produced to defoliate Laos and Vietnam. During the Second World War they worked on the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons.
Monsanto’s convictions
2002 - In Alabama where Monsanto manufactured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) one of the most toxic chemicals, it dumped PCB laden waste into local creeks for forty years.
It was found guilty of outrageous behaviour by that State on six charges of negligence, wantonness, suppression of the truth, nuisance, tresspass and outrage. Under Alabama State law, “outrage” applies to conduct
“So outrageous in character and extreme in degree as to go beyond all possible grounds of decency, so as to be atrocious and utterly intolerable in civilised society.”
In 2003 it agreed to pay $700 million to settle claims.
In Canada, six government scientists were offered $1-2 million to help them decide that it was safe to drink the milk from cows treated with Monsanto’s GM growth hormone (rbGH). This growth hormone which increases milk production is banned in Canada, Australia, the EU, Japan and NZ. The US approved the growth hormone without the need to label so the US milk supply is now contaminated with GM milk.
In 2005 Monsanto was convicted of bribing Indonesian officials to avoid impact assesments that could have prevented the introduction of GM cotton. It paid a $1.5 million fine.
Michael Meacher, former UK Minister for the Environment stated: “This is a power issue. It’s about how powerful corporations use every device to extend their interests. They pirate genes from overseas, forcing communities to pay royalties for what was their own inheritance. They crush any farmers found violating their property rights, instead of compensating farmers when GM contamination destroys traditional strains.”
Wheat is our major food and the most important grain so the introduction of unlabelled GM wheat is of concern to us all. After decades of improvement and selection to our conditions these varieties are Australia’s birthright to own. The CSIRO will be using our money to confer GM patent control to overseas corporations. That means a transfer of our genes overseas forever.The patented seed will be unlabelled so we cannot choose not to eat it.
Why would we trust a corporation largely focused on killing the planet’s organisms to control of our food supply?
What do you think?
Footnote:
Comprising the board that directs Monsanto are the presidents of industry from armarments to creation of bio-toxins as well as McDonalds.
Who better to fight the war against consumers over our culinary inheritance?
For more information just key in Monsanto on Wikipedia for details and Greenpeace about Australia’s wheat scandal.