Yesterday, I told someone that in order to be able to help people and fight unfairness, we have to conserve our energy, pick our fights carefully and push away "heavy thoughts" at times. And that is true.
As you all know, Monsanto is a company with such horrible business ethics that they are one of my top "picks".
There are companies so rotten that you'd think nothing could further tarnish their reputation. In the case of Monsanto, no matter how low your expectations already were, emails that were made public by court order will shock you.
Internal memos reveal Monsanto's Glyphosate tactics
The emails and more are available at (scroll down for a "decrypted" version): https://usrtk.org/pesticides/mdl-monsanto-glyphosate-cancer-case-key-documents-analysis/
Monsanto's Donna Farmer writes in one of these emails that they can't say if Roundup is carcinogenic because they didn't do the necessary testing to be able to make such a statement.
This email of November 2003 is one of more than hundreds of documents that Monsanto had to present by court order. Over 2000 joint plaintiffs are part of a class action against Monsanto.
They claim that they or their family got a form of lymph gland cancer, the non-Hodkin's lymphoma.
Did Monsanto lie about the risks? The papers suggest hey did.
"The Monsanto Papers tell an alarming story of ghostwriting, scientific manipulation and the withholding of information,"
says Michael Baum of Baum, Hedlund, Aristei & Goldman, one of the leading law firms representing people in lawsuits against Monsanto. On their website, you find the decrypted version of some of the documents and you can join the class action.
Attack critics, manipulate research, sow doubt
Glyphosate is the most used herbicide worldwide. Companies like Monsanto, Syngenta, and Bayer produce over 800,000 tons each year.
The substance is used for over 40 years. You can find it nearly everywhere: In the urine of people and animals, in your beer, milk, ice - and also in the concentrated feed that lands in the troughs of the animals you eat.
When in 2015 the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) classified Glyphosate as "likely carcinogenic to humans", Monsanto reacted instantly. They attacked.
They had expected the IARC vote. Monsanto knew that the experts will deliver a cancer warning. Monsanto boss Hugh Grant found a swear word for the work of the scientists at IARC.
Manipulating Scientific Research
Monsanto does not even trust their own staff. Monsanto's toxicologist Donna Farmer summarizes the analysis of Monsanto's expert James Parry:
“Dr. Parry concluded on his evaluation of the four articles that glyphosate is capable of producing genotoxicity both in vivo and in vitro by a mechanism based upon the production of oxidative damage.”
Donna Farmer then suggested that Parry should get different studies so that he changes his position.
In another email, Monsanto staff discussed that their research has potential to blow the Roundup risk evaluation. They took immediate action: "We decided to stop the study."
The main message here is that Monsanto's experts were fully aware of risks. Even more so as herbicides like Roundup contain several other dangerous chemicals besides Glyphosate. Those secret recipes are often way more dangerous than the active ingredient alone.
Years of lobbying helped to make sure that regulators looked at the active ingredient Glyphosate only - not the mixtures sprayed on our fields.
"Glyphosate is ok, but the formulated product causes the damage", writes Monsanto researcher Heydens to Donna Farmer.
Time for a quick comical relief:
Would that be a great time for a warning?
Monsanto did nothing like that. Instead, they continued their lobby work and left nothing out to discredit honest scientists whos research result could pose a danger.
The first victim was French toxicologist Gilles-Eric Seralini. Read about the attacks and his work on Wikipedia.
"Food and Chemical Toxicology" published the study in September of 2012. In November of 2013, they retracted it. Half a year ago a former Monsanto employee has joined the board. Coincidence?
If you look at the internal Monsanto emails, you can read how they proudly bragged about pressuring (I want to say bullying) experts to write to the publisher, Food and Chemical Toxicology, and get them to take the study down.
This is one of very many similar cases, exemplary for the way Monsanto acts. Here is the link once more to decrypted versions of Monsanto emails: LINK
You will learn about bullying, bribing and other shady practices you would expect from the Mob - not an organization you trust enough to eat their food and use their herbicides.
This evil corporation would do anything to protect their product Roundup as well as their GMO crops. For years they manipulated consumers and scientists.
Our farmers would be well adviced to look at the life and death of Jack McCall. His wive, Teri, is part of the class action.
The farmer from California used Roundup for centuries. His faithful dog, Duke, was always by his side.
First, the dog died from lymph gland cancer. Then McCall.
EAT SAFE FOOD. It's affordable. Buy it HERE.