Haiti's earthquake on 12 January this year has been a lucky
business break for some. The transnational firm Monsanto is
offering the country's farmers a deadly gift of 475 tonnes of
genetically-modified (GM) seeds, along with associated
fertilizer and pesticides, which will be handed out free by the
WINNER project, with the backing of the US embassy in Haiti. Do
Haitians know Monsanto made the "Agent Orange" defoliant sprayed
over Vietnam by US planes during the war there, poisoning both
US soldiers and Vietnamese civilians?
Do Haitians know that these GM seeds have been declared
dangerous by many countries? They often come in kits along with
a Monsanto herbicide called "Roundup," which contains glyphosate.
In my native Brittany, it has already polluted the water table.
But Monsanto insists its product is biodegradable. It is being
sued for this by anti-fraud officials in Lyon.
A former employee of Monsanto, Linda Fischer, has just been
named to head the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA),
which monitors environmental issues. It's like giving a cat the
job of looking after a mouse's welfare.
Monsanto has already begun distributing its GM maize seeds
around Gonaïves, Kenscoff, Pétionville, Cabaret, Arcahaie,
Croix-des-Bouquets and Mirebalais. Soon there will be only
Monsanto seeds in Haiti. Then it will be goodbye to farmers'
independence. Monsanto recently invested $550 million in Brazil
to manufacture the Roundup herbicide in the northeastern state
of Bahia. But the country seems to be fighting back against the
firm.