Who benefits from GM crops?: Monsanto and the corporate-driven genetically modified crop revolution (Executive summary)

This report analyses the way in which GM crops have been introduced into our environment between 1996 and 2005. It describes how the rapid penetration of GM crops in a limited number of countries has largely been the result of the aggressive strategies of the biotech industry, particularly pushed by top GM crop leader Monsanto, rather than the consequence of the benefits derived from the use of this technology.The report highlights the following points:ten years since the first commercialisation of a a genetically modified (GM) crop , there are 80 million hectares of GM crops around the world, primarily in the United States, followed by Argentina and Canadawhile the biotech industry, industry-sponsored organisations like the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA) and Monsanto itself claim that the first decade of GM crops has been a clear success for farmers around the world, criticism of Monsanto’s evaluation and the methodology and sources of ISAAA data has been increasing in recent yearswhen analysing and evaluating the first decade of widespread cultivation of GM crops, governments, organizations and UN bodies should make sure that they examine the "untold" story from the ground, which is never incorporated in ISAAA’s annual briefings and Monsanto’s reportsMonsanto has used other improper strategies as well: bribing officials in Indonesia in order to obtain regulatory approval, and running misleading promotion strategies in India and other countries. Monsanto’s products have also been found in areas where they were forbidden, including Brazil, Paraguay, and India, paving the way for eventual legal authorisationMonsanto was in the driver’s seat when the United States, Brazil and other governments developed legislation relating to GMOs, resulting in industry-friendly policiesMonsanto’s pesticide reduction claims are unfounded, and that in fact GM soy has dramatically increased pesticide use.Note: This is the executive summary of a full-length publication by the same title.