Monsanto Exec Heads FDA, and the Obama Administration’s Revolving Door Politics

Despite their animus history, Barack Obama seems to be warming to the K Street corporate lobbyists he once adamantly denounced.

In 2009, in a classic revolving-door move, President Barack Obama appointed former Monsanto VP and head lobbyist Michael Taylor as Deputy Commissioner for the FDA — the board tasked with regulating Taylor’s own industry.

Taylor joins the growing list of public officials formerly employed by Monsanto, a worldwide food giant oft-criticized for its poor environmental record and repeated aggressive legal action against small farmers over copyright issues.

“I don’t take a dime of their [lobbyist] money, and when I am president, they won’t find a job in my White House,” Obama said in a 2008 campaign speech. A little research, however, shows that claim to be a questionable one.

While the FDA’s headquarters are technically located in Maryland and not the White House, this appointment took place just seven months into the Obama presidency, with few noticing until this online petition gained popularity this weekend.

Also worth noting: how many dimes Obama has already accepted from Washington lobbyists for his 2012 campaign — more than 14,000 dimes, to be exact...

https://petovera.com/monsanto-exec-heads-fda-and-the-obama-administrations-revolving-door-politics/

Bayer offers to buy Monsanto in global agrochemicals shakeout

German drugs and chemicals group Bayer has made an unsolicited takeover proposal to U.S. seeds company Monsanto, aiming to create the world's biggest agricultural supplier and take advantage of converging pesticides and seeds markets.

Monsanto disclosed the approach on Wednesday before Bayer confirmed its move, though neither released proposed terms.

The $42 billion market capitalization of Monsanto means that the deal would be likely to eclipse ChemChina's planned acquisition of Swiss agrichemicals company Syngenta -- a target Monsanto itself pursued last year -- and could face U.S. antitrust hurdles.

A Monsanto statement said that its board was reviewing the proposal, which is subject to due diligence, regulatory approvals and other conditions. There is no assurance that any transaction will take place, it added.

Bayer shares dropped more than 8 percent to a 2-1/2 year low of 88.39 euros in early Thursday trading, with some investors worried by the potential cost of a deal.

Monsanto shares were seen 7.6 percent higher at $104.50 in pre-market trades.

UBS Global Asset Management, which Reuters data shows is among Bayer's 30 biggest investors, said it was "deeply concerned" about the burden on Bayer's finances from a takeover, saying it would prefer the companies to agree a joint venture or a nil-premium merger....

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsanto-m-a-bayer-idUSKCN0YA054

Monsanto-hired panel disputes WHO report on ‘carcinogenic’ herbicide

In an effort to reassure global consumers of Monsanto’s leading product, a team assembled by the agrochemical giant is challenging the World Health Organization (WHO)’s conclusion which deemed Roundup herbicide “probably carcinogenic” to humans.

In order to review the WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) verdict, which was announced back in March, Monsanto has hired a 16-member panel from Intertek Scientific & Regulatory Consultancy to dispute the international body’s findings on glyphosate.

IARC's conclusions were wrong about glyphosate. 16 experts validate its safety. https://t.co/tbh59fkdDQ— Monsanto Company (@MonsantoCo) December 7, 2015

Presenting their findings at the annual meeting of the Society for Risk Assessment on Monday, the international panel of scientists said that WHO assessment was incorrect. In fact the panel claimed that they have no evidence whatsoever that glyphosate may cause cancer.

“None of the results from a very large database, using different methodologies, provides evidence of, or a potential mechanism for, human carcinogenesis,” a team of epidemiologists and toxicologists said in their report...

https://www.rt.com/news/325049-monsanto-panel-herbicide-carcinogenic-who/#

Monsanto wins landmark case in Supreme Court

Good ole Sack O' Potatoes Kagan. Lest we forget her recommendation as US Solicitor General to deny victims of 9/11 the right to sue the Saudi government...

"...Days later, the Supreme Court rejected the case, following the lead of the solicitor general, as it often does in deciding whether to weigh in on a matter.

The Supreme Court decision effectively let stand lower-court rulings that the Saudi government and senior members of the Saudi royal family could not be sued by U.S. citizens -- even if the plaintiffs had shown that millions of dollars in Saudi government money went to bankroll al-Qaida in the years leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks..."

Obstruction of justice? Nah, allowing families to sue would've 'interfered with US foreign policy." She now sits on the Supreme Court.

Glyphosate & John E. Franz

Glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine) is a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide used to kill weeds, especially annual broadleaf weeds and grasses known to compete with commercial crops grown around the globe. It was discovered to be a herbicide byMonsanto chemist John E. Franz in 1970.[3] Monsanto brought it to market in the 1970s under the trade name Roundup, and Monsanto's last commercially relevant United States patent expired in 2000.

Called by experts in herbicides "virtually ideal" due to its broad spectrum and low toxicity compared with other herbicides,[4] glyphosate was quickly adopted by farmers. Use increased even more when Monsanto introduced glyphosate-resistant crops, enabling farmers to kill weeds without killing their crops. In 2007 glyphosate was the most used herbicide in the United States agricultural sector, with 180 to 185 million pounds (82,000 to 84,000 tonnes) applied, and the second most used in home and garden market where users applied 5 to 8 million pounds (2,300 to 3,600 tonnes); additionally industry, commerce and government applied 13 to 15 million pounds (5,900 to 6,800 tonnes).[5] While glyphosate has been approved by regulatory bodies worldwide and is widely used, concerns about its effects on humans and the environment persist.[6]..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_(herbicide)

"John E. Franz is an organic chemist who discovered the herbicide glyphosate while working at Monsanto Company in 1970.[1] The chemical became the active ingredient in Roundup, a broad-spectrum, post-emergence herbicide. This discovery had an incredible effect on the agricultural community, allowing farmers (as well as average homeowners) to easily and effectively control the growth of weeds. Franz has earned much acclaim and many rewards for this breakthrough. He also has over 840 patents to his name worldwide..."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Franz

Opponents of genetically modified organisms in food, or GMOs, rail against provision that would limit the courts’ ability to stop food producer Monsanto from growing crops later deemed potentially hazardous

Who’s more powerful, the world’s largest producer of genetically modified crops or the U.S. government?

Last week, Congress passed HR 933, a short-term resolution to avoid a government shutdown. Tucked away in the bill, however, was a rider that had little to do with the fiscal challenges facing the country.

Dubbed the Farmer Assurance Provision, section 735 of the resolution would seem to place the commercial concerns of Monsanto, the world’s largest producer of genetically modified crops and seeds, above the authority of U.S. judicial system.

In effect, the provision, which opponents call the Monsanto Protection Act, would limit the ability of judges to stop Monsanto or the farmers it sells genetically modified seeds from growing or harvesting those crops even if courts find evidence of potential health risks...

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/food-oversight-curbs-spending-bill-outrage-article-1.1298967#ixzz2PSyD9nJL

‘Monsanto Protection Act’ Sneaks Through Senate

When the Senate passed a budget resolution Wednesday that appears to prevent some of the potential damage from sequestration, the Continuing Resolution included several food- and agriculture-related earmarks.

But one inclusion in particular is especially controversial. The “biotech rider” would require the USDA to approve the harvest and sale of crops from genetically modified seed even if a court has ruled the environmental studies on the crop were inadequate. This aspect of the bill infuriated many sustainable food and agriculture groups, who nicknamed the bill the “Monsanto Protection Act.”

If signed into law by President Obama, here’s what the rider would do: It will allow farmers to plant, harvest and sell genetically engineered plants even if the crops have been ruled upon unfavorably in court. A Center for Food Safety statement called the rider “an unprecedented attack on U.S. judicial review of agency actions” and “ a major violation of the separation of powers.”

http://news.yahoo.com/monsanto-protection-act-sneaks-spending-bill-180416331.html

Monsanto's seedy legacy - YouTube

via youtube.com

Monsanto Threatens Lawsuit Over GMO Labeling Bill

Even though the state of Vermont is trying desperately to pass a bill which would require GMO foods to be labeled, the state’s efforts are being threatened by biotech giant Monsanto.

In retaliation of the GMO labeling bill, Monsanto hasthreatened to sue Vermont if any such bill is passed. Sadly, Vermont elected public officials may surrender to the threats and intimidation brought about by the GMO creator...

http://theintelhub.com/2012/04/06/monsanto-threatens-lawsuit-over-gmo-labelin...

AntiSec dumps Monsanto data on the Web | Security - CNET News

(Credit: Screenshot by CNET)

Anonymous continued its ongoing attack on agricultural biotech giant Monsanto today by publishing an outdated database of the company's material. This is the newest in a barrage of strikes from hackers aligned with Anonymous who operate under the "AntiSec" banner.

In a statement posted with the database on a Pastebin site, the hacktivist group wrote it was aware that exposing the database would not do much harm to Monsanto but warned it would continue to target the company for what it sees as wrong.

via news.cnet.com

Monsanto found guilty of poisoning in pesticide case | euronews

A court in the French city of Lyon has ruled US pesticides maker Monsanto was responsible for the poisoning of a farmer who had used one of their products on his crops. Paul Francois says he suffered neurological problems including memory loss, headaches and stammering after inhaling Monsanto’s Lasso weedkiller in 2004.

His lawyer, Stephane Teyssier, described the ruling as “historic”. “The tribunal has ordered an expert opinion, so we will see what comes of that in relation to compensation.”

Monsanto’s lawyer, Jean Philippe Delsart, said the company was considering an appeal: “For Monsanto, there was no evidence of a causal link between the symptoms presented by Mr. Francois and the inhalation of a weedkiller”.

via euronews.net

Monsanto and the mortal danger to traditional agriculture

The greatest threat to the future of food production in the world is the introduction of genetically engineered foods from the bio-tech industry. Contrary to their mendacious propagandized promises of solving the problem of world hunger through the so-called second green revolution, the bio-tech companies are instead in the process of destroying the world's ecosystems, and thus the natural food chains and life cycles. Their goal is certainly not to solve any problem at all, but instead to fill the corporate coffers with the profits from selling their dangerous products to countries with already high mortality rates from malnutrition and starvation.

Despite its growing economy, India is still a country with enormous poverty. What is happening in India is the most visible example of what is going on in the poor countries all over the world. Giving the green light for genetically modified (GM) products, which have caused medical and financial disasters for poor farmers, is outrageous and a positive danger to Indian agriculture in general.

via axisoflogic.com

Monsanto on Anonymous hacker attack: ‘We remain vigilant’

via bizjournals.com

In the Grip of Mad Scientists: Business as Usual for Monsanto, Fort Detrick, and Atlas Venture

via farmwars.info

More Details on the Strange Organism That Could Destroy Monsanto

via powerpointparadise.com

In Our Backyard (A Monsanto Introspective)

via vimeo.com

The focus of the piece is on a small village just east of St. Louis known as Sauget. Years ago this tiny area was incorporated as Monsanto. For those who remain unaware Monsanto Company was one of the leading chemical producers of the twentieth century and has been responsible for producing chemicals like DDT, an insecticide known to be carcinogenic. Agent Orange, a dioxin riddled chemical used as a defoliant in the Vietnam war. Still to this day in Vietnam we can see horrible genetic mutations, horrid skin conditions, and cancers attributed to the effects of Agent Orange. Also, Bovine Growth Hormones, which Monsanto continuously tries to keep under wraps, due to the fact it makes cows sick, thus their bacteria and the antibiotics they are pumped full of go right back into American milk. As a result BGH has been banned in Europe and Canada. Today Monsanto is an agricultural biotechnology company that is known for their genetically altering and patenting of various seed varieties, which are injected with a protein in order make the plants resistant to Roundup Weed Killer, one of Monsanto's best selling products. Solutia is currently Monsanto's chemical division, a subsidiary made years ago when the Monsanto name became tainted. Monsanto and Solutia have received an array of negative publicity, and we must question why. We also must question what good has Monsanto Company done for this world? There are two toxic dumping sites in Sauget known as superfund sites, in which Monsanto and Solutia have been found directly attributed to. While filming Solutia company my crew and I nearly got arrested while on public property, and were coerced into surrendering our ID's only to be placed on a FBI domestic terrorist watch list. It's important to question what exactly Monsanto and Solutia are afraid of. This film is only a brief introduction into the atrocities occurring at the hands of Monsanto in the areas surrounding St. Louis, and the world.