Wednesday, January 5, 2011
The All Powerful Monsanto
The DemocracyNow news clip (see below) is but another example demonstrating the power that Monsanto yields over the worlds' food supply.
This reminds me of how Monsanto, along with the U.S., was able to garner support from the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to retaliate against the EU ban on Monsanto’s rbGH infested beef and milk products:
"The European Union instituted a ban on the importation of beef injected with bovine growth hormones. These hormoneare manufactured in the United States by Monsanto Corp. . .The hormone was approved in 1993 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. . .The United States, on behalf of Monsanto, claimed to the WTO that the ban amounted to an unfair barrier to U.S. beef exports. The WTO ruled in favor of the United States and allowed the U.S. government to impose a 100 percent tariff on $116.8 million worth of European imports. . . Thus, the WTO can rule that a country’s food, environmental, or work laws constitute an “unfair barrier to trade,” and penalize a country that does not remove them." (Robbins, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, 2005).
The EU could (at the time) afford to absorb these tariffs in order to maintain their food integrity. However, not all countries are financially able to stand up against Monsanto.
You can see the news clip here, WikiLeaks Cables Reveal U.S. Sought to Retaliate Against Europe over Monsanto GM Crops:
This reminds me of how Monsanto, along with the U.S., was able to garner support from the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to retaliate against the EU ban on Monsanto’s rbGH infested beef and milk products:
"The European Union instituted a ban on the importation of beef injected with bovine growth hormones. These hormoneare manufactured in the United States by Monsanto Corp. . .The hormone was approved in 1993 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. . .The United States, on behalf of Monsanto, claimed to the WTO that the ban amounted to an unfair barrier to U.S. beef exports. The WTO ruled in favor of the United States and allowed the U.S. government to impose a 100 percent tariff on $116.8 million worth of European imports. . . Thus, the WTO can rule that a country’s food, environmental, or work laws constitute an “unfair barrier to trade,” and penalize a country that does not remove them." (Robbins, Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, 2005).
The EU could (at the time) afford to absorb these tariffs in order to maintain their food integrity. However, not all countries are financially able to stand up against Monsanto.
You can see the news clip here, WikiLeaks Cables Reveal U.S. Sought to Retaliate Against Europe over Monsanto GM Crops:
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