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The March Against Monsanto was held on May 25, 2013 in opposition to the biotechnology company Monsanto, a producer of various agricultural commodities including genetically engineered (GE) seed and Roundup, a glyphosate based herbicide. The march was organized by California resident Tami Canal in response to the failure of California Proposition 37, a ballot initiative which would have required labeling food products made from genetically modified organisms (GMOs). According to independent estimates, approximately 200,000 people participated in the march, or up to two million as described by Canal. Canal has voiced her hope that participants would continue their "anti-GMO cause" beyond the initial event.

Background

GMO controversy

Monsanto is an American multinational agricultural biotechnology company headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. They are the leading producer of genetically engineered (GE) seed and of the herbicide glyphosate, which it markets under the Roundup brand. Monsanto has been involved in high profile lawsuits, as both plaintiff and defendant. In the United States, the majority of corn, soybean and cotton is genetically modified. Some consumers have expressed concerns about the health and safety of genetically modified organisms (GMO) in the food supply and question whether they are responsible for health and environmental problems. The U.S. government and scientists maintain that GMOs are safe for consumption, but those wishing to avoid them have advocated for mandatory GMO labeling laws.

California Proposition 37

March Against Monsanto was created by Tami Monroe Canal, a full-time mother of two daughters. Canal was living as a resident in California when Proposition 37, a ballot initiative that would have required labels on products containing genetically engineered food, was rejected by voters in November 2012. Special interests in the food industry spent 45 million to help defeat Proposition 37. Canal credits Proposition 37 with opening her eyes to GMOs for the first time. Soon after, Canal moved to Utah where she had difficulty finding the same kind of fresh food and farmer's markets she left behind in California. Canal was not only angry about the failure of Proposition 37 and frustrated with trying to find reasonably priced healthy food, but she was also concerned about the health of her children. Canal soon developed the idea for a "March Against Monsanto" social media campaign.

Social media campaign

Canal started a Facebook social media campaign on Feb 28th, 2013. She argued that Monsanto benefited from corporate subsidies and political favoritism and that its patent rights over the genetic makeup of seeds resulted in losses to small and organic farmers. Activists Emilie Rensink and Nick Bernabe worked with Canal to promote the march on various social media sites. By May 21st, the Facebook page had attracted 85,000 members with approximately 110,000 "likes" and about 40,000 daily visitors. Two days before the group held the May 25 protest, the U.S. Senate rejected an amendment that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

March

External images
Images from The Washington Post
Timeline and images from RT

On May 25, 2013 protests took place around the world; according to organizers they took place in 436 cities in 52 countries. One independent source estimated the number of participants to be 200,000. March organizers estimated 2 million people participated, a number quoted by most media including CNN and RT.

In Southern California, protests occurred in Los Angeles, including Venice, Long Beach, and San Diego. In Los Angeles, protesters marched from Pershing Square to City Hall. Some carried signs expressing support for mandatory labeling of GMOs that read "Label GMOs, It's Our Right to Know", and "Real Food 4 Real People". Dorothy Muehlmann, organizer of the L.A. march, said that they were marching to raise awareness. "This is not just a 'boo Monsanto' protest. We want more people to know so they can make their own decisions."

Concerns

The March Against Monsanto published a list of concerns on its website. According to the group, the protests were held to address supposed health and safety issues, perceived conflicts of interest, and agricultural, environmental, and legislative concerns. These include:

• Concerns about the safety of genetically modified foods (GMOs) on human health
• Allegations of a conflict of interest between former employees of Monsanto who work for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Losses by small farmers faced with Monsanto's patent rights and "monopoly" of the food supply
• Concerns about GMOs and the declining bee population
• Concerns about legislation like HR 933, which prevents the U.S. court system from intervening to stop the sale of GMOs

H.R. 933

Protesters critical of Monsanto's influence on the United States Government, claimed that Section 735 of H.R. 933, labeled the "Monsanto Protection Act" by critics of the legislation, allows Monsanto to ignore court rulings and permits planting of genetically engineered crops even if they are shown to be unsafe. Dave Murphy, founder of Food Democracy Now!, called the controversy over H.R. 933 "the turning point in the debate on political lobbying and genetic engineering in the U.S." and he described the March Against Monsanto as "one of the most pressing issues of our time". According to Murphy, "Monsanto is the tip of the iceberg representing the threat that unchecked corporate power has in corrupting our democratic institutions, driving family farmers off the land, threatening human health and contaminating our environment". Murphy also took politicians to task, saying that "elected officials at the highest levels have become accomplices to the ultimate corruption in the writing of our nation's laws."

Response

On May 16, commenting on petitions submitted to the USDA opposing applications by Monsanto and Dow to test new GM crops, Monsanto's CEO Hugh Grant stated the petitioners wanted to block others from choosing more affordable food options. Subsequent reports on the March cited these comments. Monsanto released a statement on the day of the march to the Associated Press, explaining that it respected people's rights to express their opinion on the topic, but maintaining that its seeds improved agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy. Commenting in response to news of the march, Adam Blight, corporate spokesperson for Monsanto in Australia and New Zealand, stated that GE foods were fine and that biotechnology was one of the tools to help farmers yield more from their crops and thus feed the increasing global population.

Monsanto Hawaii released a longer statement saying that they were making a considerable effort to improve agriculture by helping farmers to reduce inputs, use less water, use less energy while at the same time increase the farmer’s productivity, yield and efficiency and that they were part of an overall effort to help improve farm productivity and food sustainability worldwide. They went on to say that they would welcome respectful dialogue with anyone who truly would like to learn more about who they were and what they did.

Alicia Maluafiti, executive director of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, a Hawaiian agricultural biotechnology trade association of which Monsanto is a member, responded to the march by noting that "enetically modified crops are the most tested and regulated crops, and the scientific consensus about their safety is overwhelming."

Media reception

This section may lend undue weight to certain ideas, incidents, or controversies. Please help to create a more balanced presentation. Discuss and resolve this issue before removing this message. (June 2013)

The protests were covered by news outlets including the Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and Russia Today. On American cable news, the march was covered three days after it took place on CNN's "The Lead with Jake Tapper".

Columnist J. Kojo Livingston of The Louisiana Weekly thought that "the mainstream media was sympathetic to the company, using in their reporting, Monsanto's definition of generically modified organisms", a favorable definition that portrayed genetically modified plants designed to "add nutritional benefits or otherwise improve crop yields and increase the global food supply."

Radio host Thom Hartmann, in an opinion piece called "So Much For The Liberal Media", claimed that the media had largely ignored the protests. "There was hardly a peep about the event in the corporate media. Apparently, a Koch-Brothers-funded Tea Party march of 300 people is news-worthy... but two million protesters aren't enough to risk upsetting the corporate masters."

In a column titled "Monsanto Protests Not in the News", Joseph Bachman of the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune questioned why such a large, worldwide protest didn't receive more coverage and observed that there was "little to no coverage of these protests on cable or local news". According to Bachman, "A global protest involving millions of people must be newsworthy...Monsanto produces genetically modified foods that are in our food supply — foods we eat every day — and yet somehow protests against this aren't covered?"

Future plans

March Against Monsanto organizer Tami Canal said she was surprised by the viral response and plans to continue raising awareness. March Against Monsanto joined forces with another GMO protest group, "Moms Across America", and has plans to make a showing at Fourth of July parades, and for World Food Day on October 12, 2013. Another group, "Occupy Monsanto", organized the July 2013 march.

See also

• Millions Against Monsanto

References

1. ^ "Protesters Around the World March Against Monsanto". USA Today. Associated Press. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
2. ^ "'March Against Monsanto' comes to King Street in Kitchener". CTV News. CTV Kitchener. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
3. Berry, Ian (June 26, 2012). "Monsanto Digs Into Seeds". Wall Street Journal.
4. ^ "On the eve of March against Monsanto Senate shoots down GMO labeling bill". RT. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
5. "Boulder residents participate in worldwide March Against Monsanto". Boulder Daily Camera. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
6. Quick, David (26 May 2013). "More than 100 participate in Charleston’s March Against Monsanto, one of 300+ in world on Saturday". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
7. ^ Milner, Conan (21 May 2013). "Protests Against Monsanto in 55 Countries". The Epoch Times. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
8. ^ Peterson, Eric S. (29 May 2013). "SLC March Against Monsanto". Salt Lake City Weekly. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
9. Nowles, David (8 May 2013). " Stars align in protest against food giant Monsanto over GMO crops". Daily News. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
10. Taryn, Utiger (21 May 2013). "NZ urged to remain GE-free zone". Taranaki Daily News. p. 4. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
11. Case, Philip (31 May 2013). "March Against Monsanto planned for UK cities". Farmers Weekly. 159(22):83. Web version published online 23 May 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
12. ^ Xia, Rosanna (28 May 2013). "Hundreds in L.A. march in global protest against Monsanto, GMOs". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
13. "Umstrittener Gen-Konzern: Weltweite Proteste gegen Monsanto". Der Spiegel. 26 May 2013. [English translation via Google Translate. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
14. ^ Tapper, Jake (28 May 2013). "Millions protest genetically modified food, Monsanto". The Lead with Jake Tapper. CNN. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
15. "Challenging Monsanto: Over two million march the streets of 436 cities, 52 countries". RT. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
16. "‘March Against Monsanto’ Draws As Many As 2 Million Globally, As Facebook And Twitter Once Again Show Social Media’s Effectiveness As Organizing Tools". International Business Times. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
17. Blomberg, Lindsey (26 May 2013). "The March Against Monsanto." E–The Environmental Magazine. p. 9. ISSN 1046-8021
18. "'Monsanto Protection Act' might be repealed in Senate". RT. 19 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
19. Lewis, Al (29 May 2013). "Monsanto Sows Seeds Of Protest". Fox Business Network. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
20. Murphy, Dave (28 May 2013). "Dave Murphy: The March to Stop Monsanto: Taking Back Our Food, Our Farms, Our Democracy and Our Planet". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
21. Murray, Ryan (8 June 2013). "Backlash growing against GMOs". Daily Inter Lake. McClatchy-Tribune Regional News. Retrieved 18 June 2013; Milner, Conan (21 May 2013). "Protests Against Monsanto in 55 Countries". The Epoch Times. Retrieved 18 June 2013; For the original Bloomberg interview, see: Kaskey, Jack (15 May 2013). "Monsanto Sees 'Elitism' in Social Media-Fanned Opposition". Bloomberg. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
22. Moayyed, Mava (27 May 2013). "Marching against genetic engineering". The Wellingtonian. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
23. Jensen, Chelsea (26 May 2013). "Locals march against GMOs". Hawaii Tribune-Herald.
24. Perry, Brian (26 May 2013). "Protesters against GMOs, but Monsanto says crops are safe". The Maui News. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
25. Hawaii Crop Improvement Association. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
26. "Monsanto protests around the world". The Washington Post. 25 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
27. "Global march challenges Monsanto's dominance: TIMELINE". RT. 26 May 2013. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
28. ^ Livingston, J. Kojo (3 June 2013). "Millions worldwide join March against Monsanto". The Louisiana Weekly. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
29. Hartmann, Thom (28 May 2013)."So Much For The Liberal Media". The Thom Hartmann Program. Talk Radio News Service. Retrieved 18 June 2013.
30. Bachman, Joseph (6 June 2013). "Monsanto Protests Not in the News". Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
31. Facebook page for Moms Across America
32. Short, April M. (2 June 2013). "Worldwide Movement Against Monsanto Gaining Steam". AlterNet. Retrieved 18 June 2013.

Further reading

• "Worldwide March Against Monsanto". Progressive 77(7):10-13. July 2013. ISSN 00330736 Parameter error in {{issn}}: Invalid ISSN.

External links

• Official website

• Protest marches
• Genetic engineering in the United States