User:Viriditas/March Against Monsanto

The March Against Monsanto is an international grassroots movement against Monsanto, a producer of genetically engineered seed and Roundup, a glyphosate-based herbicide. The movement was founded by 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). Advocates support mandatory labeling laws for food made from GMOs and oppose what they and others call the "Monsanto Protection Act", a policy rider found in the Farmer Assurance Provision. On May 25, 2013, an estimated 200,000 to 2 million supporters participated in marches and rallies that took place in between 330 and 436 cities around the world, mostly in the United States. Canal said that the movement would continue its "anti-GMO cause" beyond the initial event.

GMO controversy
Monsanto is an American multinational agricultural biotechnology company headquartered in Creve Coeur, Missouri. They are the leading producer of genetically engineered seed and of the herbicide Roundup, which includes glyphosate. Monsanto's "Roundup Ready" crops are genetically engineered to withstand this herbicide. In the United States, the majority of corn, soybean, and cotton is genetically modified. Monsanto has been involved in high profile lawsuits, as both plaintiff and defendant. American journalist Jake Tapper of CNN says that Monsanto has "a history of questionable ethics practices and close ties to the government".

Many scientists and U.S. government agencies maintain that GMOs are safe. The Food and Drug Administration does not require labeling of GMO products in the marketplace, nor does it recognize a distinction between GMO and non-GMO foods. Some people are concerned, reports the Associated Press, about whether "genetically modified organisms can lead to serious health conditions and harm the environment". Due to these concerns, some consumers, companies, and organizations have advocated for mandatory labeling laws. The Biotechnology Industry Organization supports voluntary labeling but opposes mandatory labeling laws because it believes it would "mislead or confuse consumers into thinking the products aren't safe".

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. Monsanto spent $8.1 million opposing the passage of Proposition 37, making it the largest donor against the initiative. The combined total spent by food industry advocacy groups on the campaign to defeat Proposition 37 was $45 million. 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 kinds of fresh foods and farmers' markets she had left behind in California. "I became increasingly angry every time I would go to the grocery store and spend a small fortune to ensure I wasn't feeding my family poison", she recalled. 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.

Talking about her personal motivations for starting the movement, Canal told the Salt Lake City Weekly, "Companies like Kellogg's and General Mills are putting things like Fruit Loops on the market that are basically 100 percent genetically engineered ingredients. And that's marketed to our kids." Out of her anger, frustration, and concerns for the health of her children, Canal developed the idea for a "March Against Monsanto" social media campaign.

Social media campaign
Canal started a Facebook social media campaign on February 28, 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 21, the Facebook page had attracted 85,000 members with approximately 110,000 "likes" and about 40,000 daily visitors.

March
On May 25, 2013 protests took place around the world; according to organizers they took place in arround 330 and 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.

Hundreds of protesters marched in Cape Town, South Africa, shouting "Say no to GMO!" They held signs in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that read "Monsanto-Get out of Latin America." Protesters, including "farmers, politicians, students and others", marched against Monsanto in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

One thousand people marched to the Capitol in the rain for 2.5 hours in Austin, Texas. 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."

Environmental journalist John Upton of Grist magazine noted that the march took place two days after Senate Amendment 965 to the Agriculture Reform, Food, and Jobs Act of 2013 was rejected. The amendment, introduced by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, was an attempt to allow states to label GMO foods. "Any U.S. senators paying attention to what was happening in the entire world over the weekend may have noticed a teensy disconnect between their protectionist votes for Monsanto and global discontent with the GMO giant," Upton wrote.

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
 * Concerns about supposed economic 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 Section 735 of HR 933, called the "Monsanto Protection Act"

H.R. 933
Section 735 of H.R. 933, formally known as the Farmer Assurance Provision, was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 26, 2013, two months before the March Against Monsanto. Called the "Monsanto Protection Act" by critics, Boston magazine reported that the bill "protects companies like Monsanto from lawsuits over potential health risks". Protesters critical of Monsanto's influence on the United States Government, argued that the bill allows Monsanto to ignore court rulings and permits planting of GE crops even if they are shown to be unsafe. On the day of the protests, WFTS-TV in Tampa, Florida, reported that protesters were "asking for a repeal of certain provisions in the recent bill nicknamed the 'Monsanto Protection Act' that could allow seeds deemed unsafe to be planted, despite legal action."

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 "[G]enetically modified crops are the most tested and regulated crops, and the scientific consensus about their safety is overwhelming."

Media coverage
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.