Monsanto Business Ethics Paper

Monsanto positions itself as a relatively new agricultural company having formed in 2002, and focused on supporting local farmers around the world. They also promote themselves as a guardian of the environment with a mission “to produce more food while conserving more” (Monsanto.com). Today’s Monsanto conglomerate also promotes itself as the “New Merchants,” a leading research company in the field of agriculture-crop production, as well as a strong supporter of public and private research through its grant, donations and University scholarship programs.

Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO’s, are organisms that have had genes from a different organism implanted into their own genetic code in order to produce a new result (“Genetically engineered foods”). This practice has elicited polar responses across the globe, for a multitude of reasons. Besides the obvious reason, being the morality of changing an organism's DNA for human benefit, one frequently noted problem is the monopolization of GMO’s by the company Monsanto, whose name is nearly synonymous with GMO’s due to their involvement with these crops. Monsanto has been at the center of many controversies regarding GMO’s, and is even considered to be ranked third to last for reputation among all major American companies (Bennett). Most

Farmers that use Monsanto’s patented soybeans must enter into an agreement with the American Soybean Association therefore acknowledging the use of Monsanto’s soybeans. As per the Harvest of fear article “Every farmer which purchases the seeds must enter into a stewardship agreement”. The farmer agrees to respect Monsanto’s patent these patents are protected by law. The farmers are not to replant used soybeans. Monsanto claims that if this were to occur they would work with the farmers in order to resolve the situation. Monsanto is gaining control by forcing farmers into purchasing there products and that effects the food which consumers buy to feed their

I believe that Monsanto’s patent on seeds has been exhausted. After the seeds have been bought, Monsanto no longer has control of the seeds. If a seed is in the ground it will naturally reproduce. It does not matter if the seed was planted, deposited by animals, blow in the wind, or left from previous generations the seed is still going to reproduce. How can Monsanto claim that all reproduce seeds of the Roundup Ready soybean belongs to them when the seeds produce copies all by

Monsanto is controlling the farmers and manipulating organic farmers to use their patented seeds and artificial growth hormone to increase production. As, Troy Roush, VP of American Corn Growers Association explains “In the case of Monsanto their control is so dominant, if you want to be in production agriculture, you’re going to be in bed with Monsanto (Food Inc 1:15:40-1:15-48). Monsanto should not have the right to control what the farmers can and cannot do. Monsanto has induced politician and the government to abdicate their responsibility to protect consumers through funding their campaign and heavy lobbying. As Michael Pollan clarifies “For the last 25 years, our government has been dominated by the industries that it was meant to be regulating” (1:17:07-1:17:13). The consumers and farmers should be the ones deciding and voting on the farming practices, not congress or large seed industries. I believe the farmers should reject to use Monsanto’s seeds and have the right to save, clean and reuse the seeds from their harvests. It should be unacceptable and illegal for the government to change ancient agricultural farming; hence we would have a healthy food chain. Government and congress should focus on the interest of consumers and farmers and not be conquered by large companies. The government needs to revisit the seed patenting law and sign an agreement of the

In the documentary, Food, Inc., it had talked about how mainly one big seed company named Monsanto, makes sure farmers always buy from them every season and that they are not allowed to reuse their seeds. Is it right or wrong? Monsanto is a seed dealer to many farmers all over. In the article, Patent Act of 1952 — Patent

Monsanto is notoriously known for partaking in the industrial production of herbicides and chemical warfare for militant use. Specifically, Monsanto is infamously known for the production of Agent Orange, a defoliant/herbicide used during the Vietnam War. Since its use, one of the many chemically adverse effects Agent Orange has been responsible for to this day are birth defects specifically among children related to veterans who have serviced in the Vietnamese and Korean military. Although Monsanto has moved away from the production of chemical warfare to the production of GMOs for human consumption, it is ethically debatable for Monsanto to be the leading industry to specialize in GMO production. The ethicality of Monsanto's contribution and influence in GMO production is also questionable due to Monsanto's economic position in domineering the seed market and GMO market, raising the possible risk of Monsanto's monopoly in both markets. Due to the intersectionality of GMO technology in socio-political private and public spheres, it is important to further research the credibility and ethicality of GM produces before its consumption and technology begin to raise problematic economic, environmental, and medical

Monsanto has a patent on the genetically engineered seed, and strictly limit farmers in how they use the see. Farmers are not allowed to harvest the seeds for future use, and must purchase new seeds each year. Most farmers feel that this gives Monsanto too much power and control. If farmers deter from the Monsanto policies they feel bullied by the investigators that come to the farm. Farmers have accused Monsanto of unethical practices in order to get the farmers to participate in their plan. Farmers have unknowingly replanted seed that occurred from cross pollination and have replanted the seed which is not allowed. In Bowman vs. Monsanto, the court upheld that the patent exhaustion does not apply to self-replicating technology. Monsanto sued Mr. Bowman for cross pollination and won. In this situation, secondary stakeholders were involved (Haugo, 2015). Government and regulatory entities are considered secondary stakeholders since they do not typically engage in transactions with a company and are not essential to their futures (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell,

In this article, Tamara Thompson asks common questions regarding genetically modified organisms otherwise known as GMOs. She gives a decent definition of GMOs as plant seeds that are modified to resist certain insects as well as harsh weather conditions. It is a very biased article, drawing attention to the company, Monsanto, in particular. She repeatedly assures her readers that GMOs are safe and that Monsanto currently works to the standards of organizations, such as the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA), Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). She concludes with the benefits of GMOs nutritional value and how they contribute to reducing draws on natural resources such as fossil fuels. This article was beneficial, although biased it gave insight to what companies such as Monsanto want the public to believe. I found this article in Opposing Viewpoints with the search entry being genetically modified foods.

“When it comes to owning the seed for collecting royalties, the GMO companies say ‘it’s mine’ but when it comes to contamination, cross-pollution, health problems, the response is ‘we are not liable’”

A. Monsanto does not allow farmers to save seed for the next years planting season.

The seed police at Monsanto’s are in place to going after growers who reuse its seeds' technology. The seed police are in place to protect the investment of the company. Farmers have also criticized Monsanto for its aggressive efforts to identify unauthorized Roundup growers. In an attempt to crack down on seed piracy, Monsanto employs private investigators who conduct random farm audits and collect crop samples from the fields of alleged violators (Cross, 2000). To solidify its case against Schmeiser, Monsanto investigators entered the farmer's fields without his consent and collected crop samples without his permission. Monsanto’s is no stranger to the legal system. Most of their legal troubles deal with bribery and patents. Monsanto was

As a independent investigator I would make sure that Monsanto is complying with good manufacturing practices as they are dealing with agricultural biotechnology. The FDA wants to ensure that the food is safe for consumption. Nothing is more important than what people put in their mouths which is why creating an ethical culture is so important. Their increase in the use of biotechnology (general environment) makes is easier to produce yields with smaller plots of land. This in turn makes their consumers (farmers) happy and creates a better income for the customers. While Monsanto’s seed is more expensive some would say it offers more yields and, therefore, money for the company and the people who sale the items produced by its seeds.

Companies, like Monsanto will come after small farms and sue them for more than they can pay if they find out they are using even a small portion of GM crops in their fields, even if by accident” (Fitzgerald). Approximately 2,400 farmers in 19 states through 2006 were sued and spied upon for alleged “seed piracy”, Monsanto has an annual budget of $10 million dollars and a staff of 75 devoted solely to investigating and prosecuting farmers who are caught with different seed. (Monsanto).

Monsanto is a company that some people may not be explicitly familiar with on a first name basis. However, the work that the company has done over the last century, with a larger emphasis on its most recent ventures, have been deeply engrained in our lives, our food, and our economy. Monsanto has those who advocate on their behalf in addition to their naysayers. While Monsanto has made huge strides in terms of biotechnology over the last couple of decades, their accomplishments, and the relevant methods, have not been free of criticism and controversy. In order to analyze Monsanto’s corporate environment, it is important to first explore their Strengths, Weaknesses,