France’s leading newspaper Le Monde launched an investigative series this morning on Monsanto, depicting the company’s total disregard for anything that stands in the way of its business: independent and critical science, regulations and — most important of all — health and the environment. The investigation is based on the “Monsanto Papers,” a batch of internal documents released by a federal court more than two months ago.

The story published today by Le Monde shows with extensive detail how the company has systematically been trying to discredit, intimidate and silence any organization determined to blow the whistle, including the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer. It depicts the various methods one of the world’s biggest corporations is willing to use to keep the lid on uncomfortable information: extensive use of legal filings, massive lobbying campaigns, and even fake journalists (whom Le Monde describes as “characters who could almost be from a John Le Carré novel) to try and dig up dirt to intimidate its opponents. It’s been, to quote the French daily, “a judicial, bureaucratic, intrusive guerrilla warfare.”

The most intriguing part of the investigation deals with the indirect but real connections between Monsanto and … Donald Trump. These connections include — but are not limited to — David Schnare, an outspoken climate change denier who was part of Trump’s transition team at the Environmental Protection Agency. They also include Nancy Beck, from the American Chemistry Council, who was recently appointed to be the EPA’s Deputy Assistant Administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention. And the list goes on.

By Worldcrunch

Worldcrunch is a Paris-based digital news magazine, delivering the best international journalism in English for the first time. Working with the world’s top media sources (Die Welt, Le Figaro, Folha de S. Paulo,Kommersant, and 25+ others) and a team of multilingual journalists and translators, Worldcrunch publishes exclusive reportage and provides a uniquely global view of events.

For the original article: http://www.lemonde.fr/planete/article/2017/06/01/monsanto-operation-intoxication_5136915_3244.html



Slow Food supports the European Citizens’ Initiative “Stop Glyphosate”, managed by the WeMove.EU platform. By signing and sending the form, you will support the petition and authorize Slow Food and WeMove to keep your informed about their projects and campaigns.

Click on the image below to sign the form!