6 • The Southwest Portland Post
Dear Earthtalk: What is the “Mon-
santo Protection Act” and why are
environmentalists so upset about it?
– Rita Redstone, Milwaukee, WI
The so-called Monsanto Protection
Act is actually a provision (officially
known as Section 735) within a re-
cently passed Congressional spending
bill, H.R. 933, which exempts biotech
companies from litigation in regard to
the making, selling and distribution of
genetically engineered (GE) seeds and
plants.
President Obama signed the bill and
its controversial rider into law in March
2013 much to the dismay of environ-
mentalists. It means that Monsanto
and other companies that supply the
majority of the nation’s crop seeds can
continue to produce GE products re-
gardless of any potential court orders
stating otherwise.
Opponents of GE foods believe that
FEATURES
giving such companies a free reign over
the production of such potentially dan-
gerous organisms regardless of judicial
challenge is a bad idea—especially
given how little we still know about the
biological and ecological implications of
widespread use of GE crops.
Today more than 90 percent of the
corn, soybeans, cotton, sugar beets and
canola planted in the U.S. are derived
from seeds genetically engineered by
Monsanto and other companies to resist
pests and thus increase yields.
Aviva Shen of the ThinkProgress
blog reports that, instead of reducing
farmers’ use of toxic pesticides and
herbicides, GE seeds are having the op-
posite effect in what has become a race
to keep faster and faster developing
“superweeds” and “superbugs” at bay.
With Congress and the White House
refusing to regulate GE crops, the
court system has remained a last line
of defense for fighting the widespread
adoptIon of genetic engineering—until
now, that is, thanks to H.R. 933.
Monsanto isn’t the only seed compa-
ny heavy into genetic engineering, but it
is the biggest and most well-known and
spends millions of dollars each year on
lobbyists to keep it that way.
Critics point out that the company
has spent decades stacking government
agencies with its executives and direc-
tors. “Monsanto’s board members have
worked for the EPA, advised the U.S.
Department of Agriculture and served
June 2013
on President Obama’s
Advisory Committee for
Trade Policy and Negotia-
tions,” reports the group
Food & Water Watch.
“The prevalence of Mon-
santo’s directors in these
highly influential positions
begs a closer look at how
they’re able to push the
pro-GE agenda within the
government and influence
public opinion.”
“The judicial review pro-
More than 90 percent of U.S.-grown corn, soybeans, cotton,
cess is an essential element
sugar beets and canola are derived from seeds genetically
of U.S law and serves as a
engineered by Monsanto and other companies to resist
vital check on any Federal
pests. (iStockPhoto)
Agency decision that may
negatively impact human
tions like Monsanto, DuPont and Dow
health, the environment or livelihoods,”
Chemical have created by subverting
reports Food Democracy Now!
our basic democratic rights,” adds Food
“Yet this provision seeks an end-run
Democracy Now!, “but it is a basic
around such judicial review by pre-
right that citizens in 62 other countries
emptively deciding that industry can
around the world already enjoy, includ-
set its own conditions to continue to
ing Europe, Russia, China, India, South
sell biotech seeds, even if a court may
Africa and Saudi Arabia.”
find them to have been wrongfully ap-
CONTACTS: ThinkProgress, www.
proved.”
thinkprogress.org;
Food & Water
Another concern of safe food advo-
Watch,
www.foodandwaterwatch.org;
cates now is getting the government
Food Democracy Now! www.foodde-
to require food makers to list GE in-
mocracy.org.
gredients clearly on product labels so
EarthTalk® is written and edited by
consumers can make informed choices
Roddy
Scheer and Doug Moss and is a reg-
accordingly.
istered
trademark
of E - The Environmental
“Not only is [GE] labeling a reason-
Magazine
(www.emagazine.com).
Send
able and common sense solution to the
questions
to:
earthtalk@emagazine.com.
continued controversy that corpora-
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