Monsanto has been highly scrutinized for years for their role in the use of toxic chemicals on crops, and the company wasn’t winning any popularity contest at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris last week.
Looks like the bell could be tolling for the agricultural biotech giant, as a number of international groups will be placing the company on trial. Based on documents created by the U.N. in 2011, a group of international lawyers will be weighing the level of criminal liability the company has brought upon humanity and the environment with the use of their chemical products.
“Monsanto promotes an agroindustrial model that contributes at least in one third of global anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions”, stated the coalition of Organic Consumers Association (OCA), IFOAM International Organics, Navdanya, Regeneration International (RI), and Millions Against Monsanto.
As we have previously reported, the company has as slimy reputation for its history of bullying farmers to use its products, and suffers from numerous accusations of cancer from said products.
While it is not an actual trial, the conference to be held next October in the Netherlands will be conducted by the “Monsanto Citizens’ Tribunal” and will surely raise even more awareness about the World Health Organization’s allegations of the chemical company’s harmful pesticides. WHO published a report earlier this year criticizing the company for its use of glyphosate, a weed killer that is said to be likely carcinogenic to humans.
A group of 16 scientists have disputed that report saying that WHO misinterpreted the data before classifying glyphosate as carcinogenic. It is important to note that out of this 16-person panel, 10 have been consultants for Monsanto in the past, and two have been previous employees of the company. Nobody seeing a conflict of interests here?
Subjecting Monsanto to actual legal consequences in the Supreme Court will be difficult as the company has never lost a case, but this tribunal might just be the engine to bring about that change.