They believe in information, but only that which ensures a favorable public response to their often dangerous products. More than 1,850 individuals from 54 countries have written personal protests to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture demanding that the technology be banned. In Brazil a judge at least temporarily blocked Monsanto's efforts to get approval for farmers to plant Roundup Ready Soybeans. Hours before a government agency met to approve Monsanto's request to plant gene-altered soybeans, a Brazilian federal judge granted an injunction blocking the application. For St. Louis-based Monsanto, the ruling is a setback that would be a real defeat if the company misses the Brazilian planting season in October and November.
Brazil is a potential market worth tens of millions in profits.
In San Francisco on October 27, Monsanto CEO Robert Shapiro was confronted by anti-GE protestors who smashed a tofu vegan cream pie in his face. The corporation's toxic Superfund sites poison workers and community members, and its dioxins will continue to cause birth defects and major health problems for generations to come. Published in In Motion Magazine November 9, 1998.