The Monsanto company as busy as it has been in the world of chemicalized agriculture, gene-spliced seeds and other endeavors, the company has also been just as busy in the legal arena.
It has all first began when Monsanto has started to sue farmers for patent infringement for cases in which farmers replanted their genetically engineered seeds (even in times where farmers claimed they didn’t know and/or farmers whose crops were damaged by accidental pollen drift).
Now, the company is been forced to defend itself in lots of legal arenas over everything from cancer cases in humans to the carcinogenic nature of its flagship weedkiller.
And a recent court decision that has been published states that the state of California has gained the upper hand in the latest round of legal tussles with the massive multi-national corporation.
State of California Defeats Monsanto in Latest Court Battle
This article from the website Yubanet.com is saying that the California Appellate Court was been sided with the State of California and the Center for Food Safety by affirming that Monsanto’s glyphosate pesticide may be listed as a “probable carcinogen” under Proposition 65 in the state.
This has a meaning that a warning label could be added to the bottle, and discharges of the chemical into state drinking waters are prohibited.
“This is a huge win for all Californians – and a huge loss for Monsanto – as it upholds our right to protect ourselves and our environment from unnecessary and unwanted exposure to the dangerous chemical, glyphosate,” said Adam Keats, a senior attorney at CFS.
While California decided to pursue the action based on the IARC of the World Health Organization’s spring 2015 assertion that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, is a “probable human carcinogen,” Monsanto has protested citing government approvals of their chemicals’ alleged safety.
Critics however point out that many of the studies done on glyphosate are submitted by the companies themselves or Monsanto-affiliated laboratories.
“All California consumers have the right to know that glyphosate is considered a probable carcinogen, and Proposition 65 ensures that the public obtains that knowledge,” said Rebecca Spector, West Coast Director at Center for Food Safety.
“We are pleased that the California Appellate Court prevented Monsanto’s attempt to keep the public in the dark about potential hazards from their products,” she added.
Thousands of Cancer Sufferers Prepare to Plead Their Cases in Court
Monsanto continues to deny its products can cause cancer, but there are over 2,400 people currently suing the company claiming a link to the dreaded disease, including one farmer who doctors say only has about six months left to live.
While the science is clear to anyone who has been following the EPA’s recent document releases that there is a link between glyphosate and cancer, the powers-that-be remain unconvinced.
The hope now among everyone from pro-organic California residents to the grieving wives of husbands is that Monsanto’s true role in these cases is finally exposed.
Boycott Bayer and Monsanto, and join us for the eighth international March Against Monsanto on May 19! Email addmymarch@gmail.com for more information on an event near you.
