Three and a half years ago I wrote of the most probably demise of anti-agriculture’s favourite corporate villain, Monsanto. Bayer and Monsanto at the moment had been engaged in merger talks. I speculated that modern agriculture combatants — lots of whom had made their fortunes portraying all issues Monsanto as bad — may in the long run lament this high-profile name disappearing. Given recent events, i Assumed it will be a great time to supply an update on “Villain Quest.”
Going again to that original column, I have in mind asking readers which ag company would grow to be the new villain when the Monsanto identify light from view. According to this ballot, 36% of respondents believed no matter corporate ended up purchasing Monsanto would inherit the villain label. So, Bayer would turn out to be the brand new Monsanto.
That’s to not say that Bayer hasn’t taken some hits among modern agriculture warring parties over the last few years. However, i’ve but to witness the wholesale protesting via ratings of demonstrators that looked to be a trademark of Monsanto’s time as villain. Perhaps it’s tougher to hate an ag player corresponding to Bayer when that corporate also helps remedy user headaches and protects consumer-grown roses from white flies.
Of route, the real explanation why Bayer has reputedly been spared from the villain function among critics is the fact that lots of them have tried very, very exhausting to keep the Monsanto identify alive in the public sector. Indeed, amid all of the information about trial verdicts going in opposition to glyphosate this past yr, the industry press has often identified Bayer as the plaintiff. However, when a quote seems in this sort of tales from a protest spokesperson, the word “Monsanto” usually gets title dropped, as if the company nonetheless exists. In this case, the Monsanto identify is performing the role of a vintage comedian e book villain, apparently killed off for good in one issue handiest to upward push again a couple of problems later.
Another reason why I bring up this agricultural villain communicate ties back to a conversation I had at the PACE Advisory Council assembly in October. The PACE crew, which consists of most of the ag market’s key decision makers and observers, has met yearly for the past 25 years to discuss industry developments, wishes, and challenges. Obviously, this yr’s staff had a LOT to discuss, including an hour-long debate at the glyphosate issue.
As an aspect notice to this, one player stated he had not too long ago witnessed a protest rally that had targeted another large agricultural company, Cargill, as the brand new agricultural villain. On one hand, i Will see the logic at the back of this — Cargill, as probably the most world’s biggest privately held companies, is enthusiastic about agriculture but doesn’t share much data with someone about its inside workings. On the opposite hand, Cargill dabbles in such spaces as grain sales, high fructose corn syrup production, and salt mining. None of these activities would apparently rank top on the listing of “evil plots to destroy the world,” consistent with most ag warring parties. (Indeed, the PACE consultant reported best seeing “about a dozen” protesters at this “down with Cargill” rally.)
So, for now it seems that the Villain Quest will continue without a clear candidate as the following “kingpin of bad agriculture.”
