LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Monsanto
built 650 days ago
On Monday the 16th the public was informed by Indian newspapers that Monsanto (well known in India for the Terminator Technology) has been conducting 40 field trials with genetically manipulated cotton across five Indian states for the last three months. Monsanto is testing a hybrid cotton seed that has been genetically engineered to produce the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) enzyme. The permission granted by the federal government in Delhi pertains the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andrah Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Now that peoples' movements are starting to mobilise on this matter, the same central government that granted the permission is inviting Monsanto to leave the country.
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Monsanto is one of several institutions from Africa, Europe and the United States involved in this HarvestPlus project for maize, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The goal of the project is to develop new maize varieties, through breeding and plant biotechnology, with high levels of beta-carotene and other provitamin A carotenoids. Other participants include Iowa State University, University of Illinois, Wageningen University (The Netherlands), International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (Mexico), and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (Nigeria).
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As of February of 2005, Monsanto has patent claims on breeding techniques for pigs which would grant them ownership of any pigs born of such techniques and their related herds. Greenpeace claims Monsanto is trying to claim ownership on ordinary breeding techniques.[2] Monsanto claims that the patent is a defensive measure to track animals from its system. They furthermore claim their patented method uses a specialized insemination device that requires less sperm than is typical.[3]
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"One large and important producer of genetically modified (GM) crops - Monsanto [1] - has engineered public opinion to reduce critical scrutiny," writes a group of South African, Mexican and American academic researchers. Monsanto has followed "a tried-and-true set of PR tactics designed to tie GM crops to the question of hunger [2], to silence debate [3] on the topic, and to challenge critics as technophobic [4]. This PR strategy removes debate that is vital for public and environmental health." In portraying GM crops as a "solution" to hunger worldwide and promoting company defenders from developing countries, Monsanto has positioned itself "as a development partner, as a benevolent philanthropist who has technology to 'share.'" This PR strategy is "seductive," the researchers explain, in that it suggests easy answers to complex problems. It ... "attempts to depoliticize; the public relations machinery, through active co-optation, becomes an 'anti-politics machine.'"
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Under Hanley, Monsanto more than doubled its sales and earnings between 1972 and 1983. Toward the end of his tenure, Hanley put into effect a promise he had made to himself and to Monsanto when he accepted the position of president, namely, that his successor would be chosen from Monsanto's ranks. Hanley and his staff chose approximately 20 young executives as potential company leaders and began preparing them for the head position at Monsanto. Among them was Richard J. Mahoney. When Hanley joined Monsanto, Mahoney was a young sales director in agricultural products. In 1983 Hanley turned the leadership of the company over to Mahoney.
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To bring the product to market, Monsanto has partnered with Cargill, Inc., a provider of food, agricultural, and risk-management products and services to 59 countries worldwide6. Monsanto will be relying on Cargill to contract with growers, process the VISTIVE soybeans at its facilities, and then market the VISTIVE oil to the food industry. Cargill announced that, for the 2005 growing season, it plans to contract 50,000 acres of VISTIVE soybean production in Iowa, close to its processing facilities in Iowa Falls, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines, Iowa. Cargill has said it will pay a premium to producers who choose to grow VISTIVE soybeans. The new product will be stacked with the Round-Up Ready trait and will maintain performance parity with leading soybean varieties. It will be marketed under Monsanto’s Asgrow® brand in 2005.
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