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The March Against Monsanto is an international grass roots movement against genetically modified food produced by the Monsanto corporation. The movement was founded by Tami Canal in February 2013 to "bring awareness to health, agricultural, environmental and political issues associated with Monsanto" through public protests. On May 25, 2013, an estimated 200,000 to 2 million supporters participated in marches and rallies; organizers claimed that marches took place in 436 cities around the world.

The movement was created by Canal in response to the failure of California Proposition 37, a budget initiative which would have required labeling food products which contain GMOs. Movement advocates support mandatory labeling laws for food made from GMOs and oppose the Farmer Assurance Provision (labeled the "Monsanto Protection Act" by critics). Canal said that the movement would continue its "anti-GMO cause" beyond the initial event.

Background

March Against Monsanto was formed by Tami Monroe Canal, a "stay-at-home mom" from Farmington, Utah. A first-time activist, Canal credits her "motherly inclinations", saying that where the health of her children is concerned, it "didn't take much" for her to get involved. The movement was spurred by Canal's frustration over the failure of California proposition 37 which would have required companies to label genetically engineered food. Canal first promoted the concept via Facebook on Feb 28th, 2013, with a statement that read: "For too long, Monsanto has been the benefactor of corporate subsidies and political favoritism...Organic and small farmers suffer losses while Monsanto continues to forge its monopoly over the world's food supply, including exclusive patenting rights over seeds and genetic makeup." By May 21st, the Facebook page had attracted 85,000 members. Canal worked with activists Emilie Rensink and Nick Bernabe utilizing various social media sites to promote the march online. Two days before the group held their protest, the U.S. Senate rejected an amendment that would allow states to require labeling of genetically modified foods.

Issues

The primary goals of March Against Monsanto were to expose what protestors believe are the dangers associated with genetically engineered foods, and to criticize the influence of Monsanto.

Protesters supported mandatory labeling of genetically engineered food, and some carried signs that read "Label GMOs, It’s Our Right to Know" and "Real Food 4 Real People". Demonstrators urged supporters to buy only organic products and to boycott Monsanto-owned companies. The Los Angeles march organizer explained, "We’re 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."

Protesters were also critical regarding concerns surrounding the amount of influence Monsanto allegedly has in Washington, claiming that recent legislation allows Monsanto to ignore court rulings and permit planting of genetically engineered crops even if they were possibly unsafe until Monsanto conducts further testing. One protester from Occupy Maui stated, "Their corporate power is insurmountable....We should not have allowed that to happen. That happened with Citizens United , but who sits on the Supreme Court? Clarence Thomas from Monsanto. Who's in charge of the FDA? Michael Taylor, from Monsanto… We're not stupid."

According to a statement by protester Stephen Lendman other specific aims of the march include calls for repealing of the Farmer Assurance Provision, often referred to by activists as the "Monsanto Protection Act", an increase in the number of independent studies on the health implications of genetically engineered food, and a call for a general boycott of Monsanto.

In a Huffington Post opinion column entitled "The March to Stop Monsanto: Taking Back Our Food, Our Farms, Our Democracy and Our Planet", Dave Murphy (founder of Food Democracy Now!) laid out a number of complaints against Monsanto, including their political influence and problems with chemicals they have previously produced, including DDT and Agent Orange, as a means of motivating the march.

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. Estimates for the number of participants ranged from 200,000 to 2 million people.

Response

In the runup to the protests, Monsanto's CEO Hugh Grant told Bloomberg News that critics of GMOs are social media elitists who fail to recognize the global food needs of a growing, hungry population. Monsanto released a statement on the day of the march, explaining it "respects people's rights to express their opinion on the topic, but maintains that its seeds improve agriculture by helping farmers produce more from their land while conserving resources such as water and energy."

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." Coverage of the protests included the Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times and international media including Russia Today.

Future plans

March Against Monsanto organizer Tami Camal 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

• Genetic engineering
• Genetically modified crops
• Genetically modified food controversies

References

1. Meredith Sturmer. for The Aggie. May 30, 2013 Movement attempts shutdown of Monsanto office in Davis | The Aggie
2. ^ Associated Press. 2013. Protesters Around the World March Against Monsanto. USA Today. May 26.
3. ^ CTV Kitchener (May 25, 2013). 'March Against Monsanto' comes to King Street in Kitchener. CTV Television Network.
4. ^ On the eve of March against Monsanto Senate shoots down GMO labeling bill. RT. May 24, 2013.
5. Staff and wire, Boulder Daily Camera. May 25, 2013; Updated May 26, 2013 Boulder residents participate in worldwide March Against Monsanto
6. David Quick for The Post and Courier. May 26, 2013 More than 100 participate in Charleston’s March Against Monsanto, one of 300+ in world on Saturday
7. ^ Eric S. Peterson for the City Weekly. May 29, 2013. SLC March Against Monsanto
8. David Nowles for the The New York Daily News. May 8, 2012 Stars align in protest against food giant Monsanto over GMO crops
9. Taryn, Utiger (May 21, 2013). NZ urged to remain GE-free zone. Taranaki Daily News. p. 4.
10. ^ Millions protest genetically modified food, Monsanto. The Lead with Jake Tapper - CNN.com Blogs. Retrieved 29 May 2013
11. ‘March Against Monsanto’ Draws As Many As 2 Million Globally, As Facebook And Twitter Once Again Show Social Media’s Effectiveness As Organizing Tools [PHOTOS]
12. ^ Monsanto’s GMO Killer Seeds: Profits Above Human Health | Global Research
13. Hundreds in L.A. march in global protest against Monsanto, GMOs - latimes.com
14. ‘Monsanto Protection Act’ might be repealed in Senate — RT USA
15. Monsanto Sows Seeds Of Protest | Fox Business
16. The View From The March On Monsanto In Kahului
17. Note: Michael Taylor is the Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine at the FDA. His boss, Margaret Hamburg, is the Commissioner of Food and Drugs and is in charge of the FDA. FDA Org chart
18. March against Monsanto stirs up the GMO debate | syracuse.com
19. Dave Murphy: The March to Stop Monsanto: Taking Back Our Food, Our Farms, Our Democracy and Our Planet
20. Xia, Rosanna (May 25, 2013). Hundreds in L.A. march in global protest against Monsanto, GMOs. Los Angeles Times.
21. bos/AFP, Der Spiegel. May 26, 2013 Umstrittener Gen-Konzern: Weltweite Proteste gegen Monsanto [English translation via Google Translate Accessed May 28, 2013
22. Challenging Monsanto: Over two million march the streets of 436 cities, 52 countries — RT News
23. Murray, Ryan. 2013. Backlash growing against GMOs. McClatchy-Tribune Regional News. Daily Inter Lake. June 8; Milner, Conan. 2013. Protests Against Monsanto in 55 Countries. The Epoch Times. May 21; For the original story, see: Kaskey, Jack. 2013. Monsanto Sees 'Elitism' in Social Media-Fanned Opposition. Bloomberg. May 15.
24. So Much For The Liberal MediaTalk Radio News Service
25. The Washington Post: Monsanto protests around the world. May 25, 2013. URL accessed June 12, 2013.
26. The Los Angeles Times: Hundreds in L.A. march in global protest against Monsanto, GMOs. May 25, 2013. URL accessed June 12, 2013.
27. Russia Today: Global march challenges Monsanto's dominance: TIMELINE.May 25, 2013. URL accessed June 12, 2013.
28. Facebook page for Moms Across America
29. April M. Short for AlterNet. June 2, 2013 Worldwide Movement Against Monsanto Gaining Steam

External links

• Official website

• Protest marches
• Genetic engineering in the United States