Sustainable Pulse - Feb 3, 2019
In a weekend of fury against Bayer/Monsanto the French media has gone on the attack against the powerful company’s lobbying, fake news and bullying tactics.
Le Monde (Thursday 31st): By Stéphane Foucart and Stéphane Horel
Glyphosate: How Monsanto conducts its media war
“Let nothing go”: mentioned in the “Monsanto Papers” several times, the name of this media counter-offensive, intended to defend their products tooth and nail in the media or social networks and online forums. The documents put in the public domain by a US federal judge reveal some elements of the operation of this program, but its operator remained unknown until now.
According to our information, it is the firm Fleishman-Hillard – one of the largest U.S. public relations companies – which has been mandated in France and Europe to implement the program. It is intended to promote false public debate on Bayer/Monsanto’s products.
Monsanto, pesticides heavyweight and specialist on information kits
Le Monde (Thursday 31st): By Stéphane Foucart and Stéphane Horel
“Thanks, Kate,” signed “Sam” at the end of his email. “Kate” is Kate Kelland a reporter for Reuters, the big British news agency. “Sam” Murphey works as Global Head of External Affairs for Monsanto. As an attachment to his email dated April 27, 2017, he attached a six-page document – “information kit” – with each element falsely fueling the impression that the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) deliberately ignored data that could have changed its decision to classify glyphosate as “a probable carcinogen” for humans.
EXCLUSIVE. Nicolas Hulot (Ex-French Enviornment Minister): “Monsanto asked a Belgian pharmacy company to take care of my reputation”
Le Journal du Dimanche (Saturday 2nd February): By Anne-Laure Barret
Nicolas Hulot delivers his opinion on Monsanto – “the worst firm in the world”.
GMO: what the Monsanto Papers reveal about lobbying in France
Le Parisien (January 17th): By Gaël Lombart
A new document that we reveal suggests that an ‘independent’ scientist interceded for Monsanto with French agencies in 2012. Objective: to weigh in on the continuation of the sale of its transgenic maize NK 603, following the Seralini study, which showed the dangers associated with the GMO.