Once a controversial chemical company, Monsanto remade itself into an even more controversial agricultural biotechnology corporation that holds a dominant position in both herbicides and genetically engineered seeds. Identified more closely than any other company with the effort to introduce genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the food supply, Monsanto has been the target of ongoing campaigns for more than 20 years, including annual March Against Monsanto actions in hundreds of cities around the world.
Despite been labeled “Mutanto” and a purveyor of Frankenfoods, Monsanto has not backed down. It has made aggressive use not only of marketing and public relations, but also the courts, where it has frequently brought suits against farmers it claimed were not following the company’s strict rules on how its products can and cannot be used. Some of those cases have gone all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 2013 strongly affirmed Monsanto’s patent rights. The company also has friends in Congress, which passed what critics call a Monsanto Protection Act limiting the ability of federal courts to halt the sale of genetically engineered seeds deemed to pose a health risk.
In 2015 Monsanto sought to expand its control over the agricultural chemical market with a $45 billion bid to acquire its Swiss rival Syngenta, but it later withdrew the offer after being rebuffed. In 2016 Monsanto agreed to be acquired by Bayer for some $57 billion but the deal is awaiting regulatory approval.