Mississippians who feel they have a right to know what they
eat need to keep an eye on the pending merger between two colossal
corporations, Monsanto Co. and Bayer AG.
If Bayer, a German corporation, is permitted to merge with
Monsanto, a U.S. seed giant, Mississippians could lose security over farming,
agricultural and processed food products and its distribution worldwide.
The $66 billion dollar merger would, in effect, allow Bayer
to control the development of seed and pesticides necessary to fuel the
planet's food supply.
Monsanto went to court in 2013 to deny Mississippi planters
from saving seeds from one harvest and planting them the following season
because it violated Monsanto's patented use of the company's seeds. With that
in mind, people may wonder what recourse planters would have with a foreign
corporation in control of Monsanto's assets.
There are hundreds of pending federal lawsuits against
Monsanto that allege the main ingredient in the popular weed killer
"Roundup" may cause cancer, including non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, in
people who frequently used the weed killer. The first trial is scheduled for
June 1 in the U.S. District Court of Northern California. Reportedly, there are
even more additional cases against Monsanto pending in state courts.
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