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Originally Posted by i dunno
What? I'm not suggesting Monsanto to give their money away, but that would be nice. How are those companies monopolizing markets? Naming multiple companies in the same industry already implies that competition exists. Car companies also release information about where they're made and the sources of their parts. They jump through the hoops and tend to play by the rules. There's transparency.
My problem isn't that Monsanto makes too much money. One of the issues is that Monsanto has a patent on a gene, which causes a lot of issues in the legal system. Let's say this gene transfers into another farmer's non-GMO soybean crop. Now he's screwed because Monsanto technically owns his soybeans. Farmers are also not allowed to replant Monsanto seeds. They have to keep buying new ones. That's like if BMW didn't allow you to keep your car after a year and contractually forced you to buy a new car from them. US food policy makes it worse because all the corn and soybean subsidies go mostly to big ag. I think it's pretty obvious that we're not ready to implement GMOs in an ethical and responsible manner yet. Although genetic manipulation is a very useful technology, there's still a lot of kinks to work out. There's also no transparency into what foods contain their products, but it's safe to assume that 90% of the stuff US supermarkets contain GMO soybeans or corn.
Even recently they tried to slip the Farmer's Assurance Provision under a bill through Congress, and they continue to fight against labeling. They sued a dairy producer for saying their milk comes from cows not treated with rBST. wtf. Their methods of conducting business intensify the notion that they're trying to hide something. GMOs have real benefits, but Monsanto's hiding is only creating more fear and hysteria.
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Exactly. At the very least we need GMO labeling. Monsanto has spent a significant amount of money fighting GMO labeling.