Once an industrial-chemical titan, GMO seed giant Monsanto has rebranded itself as a “sustainable agriculture company.”
That rhetoric may have to change, though, if Monsanto succeeds in buying its Swiss rival, pesticide giant Syngenta.
In trying to swallow Syngenta, Monsanto is putting its money where its mouth isn’t—that is, it’s contradicting years of rhetoric about how its ultimate goal with biotech is to wean farmers off agrichemicals.
The company markets both as solutions to farmers’ reliance on toxic chemicals. Bt crops “allow farmers to protect their crops while eliminating or significantly decreasing the amount of pesticides sprayed,” Monsanto’s website declares; and its Roundup Ready products have” allowed farmers to … decrease the overall use of herbicides.”
Both of these claims have withered as Monsanto’s products have come to dominate US farm fields.
Monsanto’s lunge for Syngenta and its vast pesticide portfolio signals that the company thinks more of the same is in the offing.
The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion and analysis. Read full, original post: Monsanto Bets $45 Billion on a Pesticide-Soaked Future
