Mark Healey at a recent GMO protest in Hawaii.
Shareholders, farmers, and food experts met at Monsanto’s Annual General Meeting to push forward a resolution urging Monsanto to provide greater transparency on GMO products. Monsanto Company is the leading producer of genetically engineered seed and the herbicide glyphosate.
Genetically modified organisms have become a matter of increasing concern for State legislatures. Connecticut and Maine recently passed laws that require the labeling of GMOs, although these laws will not take effect until other states adopt their own regulations.
Despite the detailed resolution, filed by John Harrington of Harrington Investments, shareholders voted against proposals to label and deliberate the costs of GMOs. One resolution sought to report the cost of GMO contamination affecting non-GMO and organic crops. Another resolution asked the company to work with regulators on GMO labeling guidelines. For the second year in a row, Monsanto’s board opposed both measures.
In 2013, Monsanto spent over $7.1 million to defeat Proposition 37, a statewide initiative to require GMO labeling in California and contributed heavily to a similar referendum in Washington State. This is coming at a time when Monsanto is expected to release a new round of genetically engineered seeds and pesticides that pose serious threats to farmers and rural economies. Concerns about GMOs range from potential health risks, to the increase in pesticides and the loss of biodiversity. Professional surfers such as Kelly Slater, Greg Long, Rusty Long, John John Florence, Sunny Garcia, Fred Patacchia, and Kala Alexander have been known to protest Monsanto‘s endless efforts. Stacy Malkan, who was the media director for Yes on 37, stated, “If GMOs are perfectly safe, why can’t consumers know that they’re in their food?”
