5 Reasons Monsanto Is Crashing And Burning + 17 Countries Saying Goodbye To GM Crops & The Fight Against Genetic Armageddon

Posted by George Freund on October 14, 2015

October 14 2015

It’s hard to believe that the once almighty Monsanto is on its knees. But their dirty deeds seem to have finally caught up with them.

Monsanto shares have already dropped 27 percent this year and they just posted fourth quarter losses wider than estimates. They also announced cost-saving measures to counter their plunge; deep cuts to their workforce and exiting the sugarcane business.

Related: The World’s Most Credible Medical Journal Outlines Bad News For Monsanto

Bloomberg reports:

“Monsanto Co. said it will eliminate 2,600 jobs as part of a cost-savings plan, joining a growing list of major corporations struggling to contain the damage from the decline in world commodities prices.

The St. Louis-based agricultural giant announced the reductions - the equivalent of 12 percent of its workforce - as it reported a loss of 19 cents a share in the fiscal fourth quarter and warned profit would remain weak through 2016."

Monsanto enjoys a near monopoly on corn and soybean in North America. They appear to have it all; they own the farmers, the industry, the politicians, and the regulators. And, yet, they’re crashing and burning.



Bloomberg cites slumping commodity prices for Monsanto’s decline. “Like DuPont Co. and Glencore Plc, Monsanto, the world’s largest seed maker, is taking steps to combat the effects of a commodity slump…”

However, Here are 5 Real Reasons Monsanto is Tanking:

1. Consumer activism: The market doesn’t want herbicide-soaked genetically modified food anymore. As people are becoming more health conscious, they prefer to eat organic food. It’s really that simple.

2. Lawsuits with farmers: Monsanto spends untold resources suing family farms for patent infringement. Farmers are forbidden from saving patented seeds year to year. Additionally when Monsanto’s GMO crops pollute neighboring farms, Monsanto sues those farms too. Not a great business model when your primary customers are farmers. An organic farmer in Australia is hoping to reverse this revolting practice.

3. Funding anti-labeling campaigns in multiple states is draining Monsanto of millions of dollars. This seems to be the majority of their “marketing” budget. They spent at least $8M in 2012, over $9M in 2013 in Washington State alone, and combined for $8M to defeat just a county initiative in Maui County Hawaii this past year.

4. Flagship product causes cancer: A recent World Health Organization report concluded that the active chemical used in Monsanto’s flagship product “Glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans.” This unsettling realization hasn’t even begun to sink in yet. Although some cancer-stricken farm workers are suing the big “M” over their illness with many more likely to do the same.

5. National bans: An increasing number of countries are banning either GMOs or certain pesticides, or both. At least 15 European Union members move to ban GMO crops. Meanwhile some small nations like Bermuda and Colombia have banned glyphosate.

To summarize, when people no longer want a product, market share and regulatory control mean nothing. This a long-term problem for Monsanto that can’t be fixed with cost-savings measures. That is why they’re doomed.

Related: GMO Soy makes Formaldehyde in our Gut

These 17 Countries are Saying Goodbye to GM Crops

The battle against genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) continues on, with a growing number of countries saying goodbye to these crops for good. There are many countries who are making moves to rid their markets of GM crops.



As of this week, these countries have initiated moves to ban GMO crop cultivation:

Austria, Croatia, Scotland, Slovenia, Italy, Germany, France, Greece, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Bulgaria,Russia, Denmark, Wales, and Poland. Many of these governments are choosing an “opt-out” clause of a EuropeanCommission rule that was passed in March, and it would allow for these countries to abstain from growing GMO crops.

Regardless if these GMO crops are already authorized to be grown within the EU, this clause will allow these nations to refuse if they wish to. Although, it's unclear how new trade deals like the TPP would put their refusal option at risk. Currently, the only GM crop that is allowed to be grown in Europe is Monsanto's MON810 maize.

Overall, roughly 65 percent of the EU's population is saying that they want to ban the cultivation of GMO crops. Clearly, a growing number of people are wanting to opt-out of being a part of the experiment, and when given the opportunity to choose; many will prefer to eat food that isn't genetically-modified. “At least half of the EU’s governments are rejecting the commission’s drive for GMO crop approvals. They don’t trust EU safety assessments and are rightly taking action to protect their agriculture and food,” says Greenpeace EU food policy director Franziska Achterberg.

Many of these countries already have anti-GMO legislation established, but more are joining the cause and they are increasing the strict regulation and bans against these crops. All 28 nations currently within the EU require GMO labeling, unlike the U.S. which is still battling over whether companies should be forced to label GMOs. But companies don't need to be forced to label GMOs in order for people to be able to find out what is and isn't genetically-modified, the voluntary non-gmo label verification project is evident to the success of alternative, voluntary methods.

Monsanto and other bio-tech corporations continue to face pressure from the public, over concerns for potential risks that GM crops might pose to health or the environment. From lawsuits to large-scale, world-wide public demonstrations against GM crops, and more, it's clear that people aren't going to let their concerns for these crops subside anytime soon.

Related: Agricultural Workers Diagnosed with Cancer Sue Monsanto

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