Marie-Monique Robin

So, this French woman did a 4 year stint tracking the paper trail of Monsanto, securing interviews with anyone she could who could further her cause to find out exactly what it was/is that Monsanto were/are getting up to. It is a documentary film, and a book.

Monsanto is a company name loaded with controversy. They produced Agent Orange and Roundup, claiming them safe initially. Cover-ups and collusion are the least of the unscrupulous activities Robin outlines in detail. What concerned me show more most was the revolving door between high-up Monsanto-ites and officials in the FDA and EPA as well as in government. For example, a Monsanto lawyer gets a job in the EPA, oversees the change of rules to allow his former bosses to release a product formerly deemed too poisonous...then after a year or two goes back to Monsanto as the VP. Similar stories of former employees having a stint at the FDA, easing the path somehow for the chemical giant while there, and then going back to Monsanto as a 'consultant' on big bucks. It was this information with helped me to understand how these types of atrocious practices are facilitated.

Their foray into genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is outright terrifying. Sneaking patents through on their own dodgy scientific research, not allowing independents access to the raw data, making sure no package labelling was allowed which would allow consumers to choose non-GMO foods, contaminating fields with their patented crops then suing farmers for their illegal use of them, standover tactics, bullying, litigation for the purposes of bankrupting dissidents- the list goes on and on. And on.

Misinformation designed to confuse and manipulate the public about the genetic modification of food staples has done its job. You have all heard people say things like: "well, if it can feed the world, it can't be that bad." Well, it can be that bad. And it isn't designed to feed the world. It is designed to gain a few large chemical companies a very lucrative ongoing income. The consequences of such reckless pursuit of profit are many and huge. GMOs spread as crops are windblown or pollinated- organic farmers cannot be organic, but more importantly the crops- whose health effects are still unknown- infect other crops in the vicinity. Farmers are held to ransom in an extortionate debt cycle (there has been a huge increase in suicides particularly in India). In Argentina the crop yields were initially so high that "roundup ready" soy beans have taken over the agricultural landscape. No more local milk or beef for them, it has to be imported at a greater cost. Huge farms have displaced small ones and any small enclaves left 'holding out', get aerially sprayed with Roundup which has caused deaths and serious disability. The huge farms are owned by foreign investors who employ heavies (with guns) to protect their investment by any means necessary, etc etc etc. It's all in the book. And it has all been explained away or litigated against by the company in the title. show less

Monsanto's controversial past combines some of the most toxic products ever sold with misleading reports, pressure tactics, collusion, and attempted corruption. They now race to genetically engineer (and patent) the world s food supply, which profoundly threatens our health, environment, and economy. Combining secret documents with first-hand accounts by victims, scientists, and politicians, this widely praised film exposes why Monsanto has become the world s poster child for malignant show more corporate influence in government and technology. A film by Marie-Monique Robin. This DVD also includes a bonus film on rbGH by Jeffrey M. Smith, and the audio CD, Don t Put That in Your Mouth. show less

Quite an indictment, and all very properly presented. Who are those monsters at Monsanto?

Equal parts horrifying and fascinating.