Roundup litigation discovery documents: implications for public health and journal ethics

Abstract

This paper reviews the court-released discovery documents obtained from litigation against Monsanto over its herbicide Roundup and through Freedom of Information Act requests (requests to regulatory agencies and public universities in the United States). We sought evidence of corporate malfeasance and undisclosed conflicts of interest with respect to issues of scientific integrity. The findings include evidence of ghostwriting, interference in journal publication, and undue influence of a federal regulatory agency.

Is the future of agriculture perennial? Imperatives and opportunities to reinvent agriculture by shifting from annual monocultures to perennial polycultures

“…The agriculture and food sector is dominated by large firms that thrive on the current agricultural model and that have significant political power and a strong advantage over pioneers and niche innovations [168][169][170][171]. Documents released in relation to litigation against Monsanto about glyphosate (Roundup) causing cancer reveal how far the industry is prepared to go in defending their products [172,173]. Understanding these dynamics will be crucial for formulating strategies and pathways towards a perennial and biodiverse agricultural future.…”

Scientific integrity issues in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: Improving research reproducibility, credibility, and transparency

“…The sunshine laws enacted in many jurisdictions were intended to illuminate the business of government officials; it is doubtful they were intended by their crafters to sweep up university professors. Nevertheless, some see scientists as fair targets of such tactics, given that inspections of their erstwhile private communications have uncovered peerreview misconduct, undisclosed conflicts of interest, or bias (e.g., Russell et al 2010;Fellner 2018;Krimsky and Gillam 2018). Privately funded research is generally shielded from such practices (Wagner and Michaels 2004;Brain et al 2016).…”

Civil society challenges the global food system: the International Monsanto Tribunal

“…The transnational agribusiness Monsanto has often been at the centre of activist demands (Cummins, 2013;Heller, 2012;Krimsky & Gillam, 2018;Scoones, 2008). Today, the company is one of the world's leaders in genetic seed engineering, agricultural biotechnology, and the production of herbicides (Glover, 2010;Goldfarb & Zoomers, 2013;Oliveira & Hecht, 2016).…”

“…While corporate actors promote GM crops as a technological solution to address world hunger and poverty (Glover, 2010), critics point at the increasing commodification of seeds and land and the corporate control throughout the supply chain of food production (Craviotti, 2018;Goldfarb & Zoomers, 2013;McMichael, 2009;Oliveira & Hecht, 2016). Since the introduction of Roundup, scientists and international institutions have been hotly debating the impact of glyphosate on human health and the environment, resulting in diverging observations and conclusions about the product (FAO, 2005;Krimsky & Gillam, 2018;Richard, Moslemi, Sipahutar, Benachour, & Séralini, 2005;Séralini, Clair, et al, 2014;Van den Berg et al, 2017) Social movements that challenge Monsanto in particular and the global food system in general vary in their characteristics. In general, they aim to challenge structural aspects of the corporate food regime such as intellectual property rights over seeds, the implementation of biotechnology, the use of agrochemicals, and the absence of accountability for corporate social, environmental and human rights impacts (Arancibia, 2013;Motta, 2014;Scoones, 2008).…”

“…The global food system has been at the centre of public scrutiny, criticism, and legal disputes regarding the negative impacts of its activities and products (Glover, 2010;Krimsky & Gillam, 2018;McMichael, 2009;Motta, 2014). Today, the global food system is dominated by a small number of transnational corporations, which promote a standardized technological package for food production, consisting of hybrid and genetically engineered seeds, machinery and chemical pesticides and fertilizers (Holt Giménez & Shattuck, 2011;McMichael, 2009).…”