Not so easy nowadays to speak about Monsanto without inducing emotional reactions. For a number of environmentalist NGO, Monsanto is the Devil. They claim « Vade retro Monsanto ».
Being repeated, some myths on Monsanto are accepted as truth by the public.
One of this very common myths is the fact that Monsanto is supposed to be the discoverer and the single provider of the Agent Orange wich has been used by the US army during the Vietnam war.
«Agent orange: Background on Monsanto’s Involvement» is an explanation from Monsanto on this misconception :
Excerpt : “[…]From 1965 to 1969, the former Monsanto Company was one of nine wartime government contractors who manufactured Agent Orange. The government set the specifications for making Agent Orange and determined when, where and how it was used. Agent Orange was only produced for, and used by, the government”, they state. […] “[a]t the time the herbicides were used, there was little consideration within the U.S. military about potential long-term environmental and health effects of the widespread use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.” […] Research on Agent Orange has been conducted for decades and continues today. While a causal connection linking Agent Orange to chronic disease in humans has not been established, some governments have made the decision to provide certain medical benefits to veterans and their families even though there has not been a determination that an individual’s health problem was caused by Agent Orange. […]”
« Myths et facts » is the part of the Monsanto site dedicated to debunking myths from their point of view.
Nowadays, the GMO and pesticides issues are very emotional. Reading the arguments of each stakeholder may help to put some sound reason in the debate.
Like other companies, Monsanto is not an angel indeed. It’s neither the evil!