Five million Brazilian farmers are suing Monsanto for charging annual fees for use of its patented soybean seeds. The seeds are resistant to Roundup, a herbicide it also produces. The company wants farmers to pay an annual 2 percent fee in perpetuity. Recently, a Brazilian court ruled that Monsanto must reimburse farmers at least $2 billion from interest payments dating back to 2004. Monsanto is appealing the ruling.
Monsanto’s global influence in agriculture is pervasive. About 95 percent of the U.S. soy crop and 80 percent of corn is grown from patented Monsanto seeds. The company also manufactures synthetic bovine growth hormone, made to increase milk production, and has sued farmers in the past for labeling their milk “hormone free.” In a 1998 New York Times magazine article, Michael Pollan quoted Phil Angell, Monsanto’s director of corporate communications: “Monsanto should not have to vouch for the safety of biotech food. Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is FDA’s job.”
