Monsanto is not simply a company who sells genetically modified products to those seeking
them. This massive corporation is actually very much involved with the
passing and proposals of regulations concerning the very GM ingredients
they are responsible for. You may think those helping to pass the GMO bills truly believe that genetically engineering
the food supply is beneficial to public health, but the scary truth is
that many of said individuals couldn’t care less about humankind or the
future of the planet. As far as many government regulators are
concerned, Monsanto can spread its wings far and wide – so as long as
those in power are living large.
Exposing Monsanto’s Financial
Interest in Government
During the 3rd quarter of 2011, biotech
giant Monsanto spent a whopping $2 million lobbying the federal
government. The lobbying focused on issues like regulations for
genetically modified crops and patent reforms, a previous report says.
The recent lobbying was aimed at the US congress as well as the USDA to weaken
regulatory requirements for the production of GM sugarbeets and alfalfa. This kind of lobbying
from Monsanto has been going on for years, with over $8 million
spent annually over the last few years.
It is this kind of government lobbying
that ignites so much backing from government agencies like the USDA. In
2011 the USDA was going to let Monsanto conduct its own environmental studies as part of a two-year USDA
experiment. But there is no good that can possibly come of an experiment
where the company behind nearly every genetically modified crop in our
daily diets is allowed to decide whether its products are causing any
environmental harm. Allowing a company with such incredible negative influence to police itself will only
result in individual and environmental harm.
More recently, the United States
Department of Agriculture has decided to deregulate two of Monsanto’s genetically modified seed varieties,
giving the company a further grasp on the already dominated food supply
of the nation.
Amazingly, it gets even worse. What may
be most shocking is the latest leaked information regarding Monsanto
and its future expansion. The United States is threatening nations who
oppose Monsanto’s genetically modified (GM) crops with military-style trade wars, according to information
obtained and released by the organization WikiLeaks. The WikiLeaks cable
reveals that in late 2007, the United States ambassador to France
and business partner to George W. Bush, Craig Stapleton, requested that
the European Union along with particular nations that did not support GMO crops be penalized. Perhaps the most shocking
piece of information exposed by the cables is the fact that these U.S.
diplomats are actually working directly for biotech corporations like
Monsanto.
Amazingly, this is not the only case of
corruption revealed. In similar newly released cables, United States diplomats are found
to have pushed GMO crops as a strategic government and commercial
imperative. Furthermore, advisers to the pope were specifically targeted
by the U.S. This may very well have to do with the fact that many
Catholic bishops and figureheads have openly denounced GMO crops.
Given the evidence revealing Monsanto’s
ability to ‘legally’ persuade government officials, it seems the company
is obviously pulling every move they can possible make in order to push
their health-endangering agenda.
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