Get Your Free Genetic Crimes Unit Action Kit

In an effort to expose Monsanto’s greed and hold the Company accountable for their crimes, we are making Genetic Crimes Unit (GCU) Action Kits available for free to the first 100 groups who commit to Occupy Monsanto during the week of September 17th, 2012.

Each GCU Action kit contains:

• Hooded White Coverall (size: Medium or Large)
• Goggles
• Nitrile Gloves
• Respirator
• Genetic Crimes Unit Badge
• 50 Occupy Monsanto Bracelets
• Stickers
• Biohazard Crime Scene Tape
• Occupy Monsanto Hazmat Manual

Please fill out our handy-dandy form below with your mailing address, email address, coverall size (Medium or Large), and basic information (date, time, and location) about your Occupy Monsanto plans for the week of September 17th.

We have created a GCU map, similar to the one on our Facilities page, showing global GCU locations. When visitors click on these locations on the map, anonymous contact information for your GCU will appear. You will be added to our GCU email newsletter so we can send you periodic updates. At this time, we cannot use @aol.com e-mail addresses for anonymous GCU contacts. If you have any problems, please email GCU@occupy-monsanto.com.

Students, Alumni, & Families to protest Monsanto at Washington University in St. Louis Graduation Ceremony

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) – “Richard Mahoney will get an honorary degree. He is the former CEO of Monsanto. But not everyone will be happy to see him receive this degree. A group emailed FOX 2 saying over 100 students and alumni will join their families in wearing buttons protesting the relationship between the company and the University. Washington University has several buildings named after Monsanto and the corporation funds several fellowships.”

UPDATE – Reporter Kim Hudson interviews a graduating student on why she is wearing anti-Monsanto button:

Monsanto’s Lobbying Expenses 2002-2012

Throwing around a few grand here & few grand there to buy off politicians is really nickels & dimes compared to the vast amount of money Monsanto has spent lobbying Congress.

Over the last 10 years Monsanto has spent over $52 million dollars making sure they get the most favorable legislation possible. Of that $52 million, nearly $11 million was paid to outside lobbying firms (listed below) to lobby on behalf of Monsanto, while the rest of the total (over $40 million) was spent on Monsanto’s staff lobbyists.

The results? More pesticides, more GMOs, and more of why we will Occupy Monsanto this fall!

Source: Center for Responsive Politics (2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012)
Note #1: When compiling this list it was shown that many of the lobbying firms no longer exist because many of the lobbyists merged their firms together. When a firm was found to have merged with another, the dirty money Monsanto paid them was added together in the table above.
Note #2: In 2000 Monsanto merged with Pharmacia & Upjohn and was later spun off into the “New Monsanto.” However, the data for 2002 includes Pharmacia as Monsanto’s parent company and show that there was lobbying money spent on the pharmaceutical industry. For the table above, only the lobbying money spent on Agricultural Services & Products was included.

Monsanto’s PAC Contributions to Members of Congress 2002-2012

When you’ve got billions of dollars in your coffers, you can afford to pay off political candidates & members of Congress. The tables below from the Center for Responsive Politics show donations to U.S. politicians from Monsanto’s Political Action Committee known as Monsanto Citizenship Fund between 2002 and the first quarter of 2012. If your Senator or Representative is on this list, contact them and say that you don’t support Monsanto’s efforts to genetically contaminate the world’s food supply. Combine the totals below with the $50 million dollars Monsanto spent on lobbying and it’s easy to see why Monsanto deserves to be occupied this fall.

Source: Center for Responsive Politics (2012, 2010, 2008, 2006, 2004, 2002)

Occupy the Monsanto Company’s Mobile Advertising Unit

In order to convince America’s hardworking farmers that Monsanto’s patented genes & toxic chemicals are safe, Monsanto has created a mobile advertising “Unit” that will be spreading lies & pro-GMO propaganda around the United States this year. If your Genetic Crime Unit needs a good location to protect against further genetic contamination, look no further:

Source

Take the Flour Back – May 27th, 2012

Stop the open-air release of GM Wheat that contains genes ‘most similar to that of a cow’

Rothamsted have planted a new GM wheat trial designed to repel aphids. It contains genes for antibiotic-resistance and an artificial gene ‘most similar to a cow’.

Wheat is wind-pollinated. In Canada similar experiments have leaked into the food-chain costing farmers millions in lost exports. There is no market for GM wheat anywhere in the world.

La Via Campesina, the world’s largest organisation of peasant farmers, believe GM is increasing world hunger. They have called for support resisting GM crops, and the control over agriculture that biotech gives to corporations.

‘Take the Flour Back’ will be a nice day out in the country, with picnics, music from Seize the Day and a decontamination. It’s for anyone who feels able to publically help remove this threat and those who want to show their support for them.

Meet Rothamsted Park, Harpenden, Herts (30 mins from London by train) 12 noon on 27th May.

Why a decontamination?

This open air trial poses a real, serious and imminent contamination threat to the local environment and the UK wheat industry. We’re calling on the Government and Rothamsted to remove the GM plants themselves, but if they fail to do so then May 27th is the last weekend action can safely be taken before pollination.

We’d rather not have to clean it up, but there simply aren’t any other avenues open to us. Despite expert representations urging caution the government has never refused any request for GM trials in the UK. Given that the current head of the responsible department (DEFRA) is a former biotech industry lobbyist this is hardly surprising.

The coalition have no mandate for forcing GM into our countryside, they’re acting against the express outcome of the democratic process by doing so. The government conducted the largest public consultation in recent history on Genetically Modified crops in 2003 (GM Nation) which found that the majority of the British public were “cautious, suspicious or outright hostile” towards GM crops.

Anyone who feels compelled to take this step with us will be in good company. Across the channel farmers, families, and local mayors have taken part in similar daytime decontaminations, and as a result France is currently in the process of banning its only commercially grown GM variety. In Belgium last year a mass public decontamination removed the GM potato trial in question, and is likely to have been instrumental in biotech giant BASF deciding to pull out of Europe.

This crop is a threat to our thriving wheat industry and our food security. This action is for anyone who feels able to help take it out, and all those who wish to support them.

Statements of support:
African Biodiversity Network and Gaia Foundation statement
Community Food Growers’ Network statement
Karnataka Farmers’ Association statement
Real Bread Campaign statement