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Podcast 354: Merger of Monsanto with Bayer

The American biotech company, Monsanto, was recently purchased by the German chemical and pharmaceutical maker, Bayer. This was announced by the US Department of Justice in May of 2018. Monsanto is the world’s biggest producer of crops, and by merging with Bayer, they will control over 25% of the world’s crop market. Bayer announced the idea in 2016, and two years later they gained the approval of the European Commission to go ahead with the merger.

For those of us who know what Monsanto represents, this might be very confusing news. Does this mean that Monsanto will no longer exist or be allowed to sell and use glyphosate, the number one weed killer that is dangerous to human health? Or does it mean this poison will keep spreading all over the world in disguise, under a different label?

Martin and Scott talk about Bayer, a company that has its own terrible history, what to expect from the merger, and how each of us can instigate change by thinking globally, but acting locally. Is this the end of Monsanto as we know it? Will things stay the same? Could they possibly get even worse? How will this affect GMO labeling? We’re talking about it all on this episode of the Life Enthusiast Podcast!

Products mentioned in this episode:
Exsula Superfoods

Related topics:
GMOs, Elections and the Immune System
Scary GMO Foods
GMO Corn
Monsanto Protection Act

Also be sure to check out our FREE Chronic Pain Manifesto!

You can watch this podcast episode as a video, listen to an audio only version, or read a full transcript below! We hope that you will enjoy this episode and we invite you to share your opinions on the subject in the comments below! Do you grow your own vegetables? Are you avoiding GMO foods or deliberately shopping organic? Do you use RoundUp in your garden? Why, or why not? We would love to hear from you and start a conversation!

Martin: “Hello, everybody! This is Martin Pytela at Life Enthusiast, our online TV and radio network. Today, I’m here with Scott Patton, my partner in podcasting, broadcasting and networking, and we are wanting to share with you the news. The news is that the US senate has approved the merger and the sale of Monsanto to Bayer.”

Scott: “Yeah, that’s pretty big news. And it’s worth sixty three billion dollars.”

Martin: “Which is just chump change, really. But what is really interesting is this: the name Monsanto is going to disappear. Because of course… you may have noticed that the world has essentially turned on Monsanto, it has has been called Monsatan, and The Cause of all ill-health, which it has been! I mean, Monsanto, their gifts keep on coming. First it was the Agent Orange, then the 2,4-D, and now the famous Glyphosate. Of course, Monsanto has been insisting that Glyphosate is safe, especially in minute doses, and they’re saying: Look, Glyphosate is a herbicide, it kills unwanted plant life.”

Scott: “Who decides what’s unwanted plant life?”

Martin: “Well, a weed is a plant that’s in the wrong place. In a cornfield, a radish is the weed. In a radish field, corn is a weed. But the point is that farmers can plant the plants that have been specifically bred to be resistant as to this RoundUp (or Glyphosate), and then spray the field with Glyphosate, and all plant life dies except for those that were bred to be resistant. That’s the idea. So you can now buy corn that has been sprayed with Glyphosate, and there will be some residual small amounts of Glyphosate. You may be buying wheat that has been sprayed with Glyphosate, because it’s got this wonderful ability to cause the plants to push more energy into their seeds just as it’s dying. It makes drier wheat, higher grade wheat, better looking wheat, but contaminated with Glyphosate.”

So what does this mean? When you are eating these trace amounts of Glyphosate, you’re affecting the microbes in your body, the microbiome.”

Scott: “Which could be considered unwanted plants if they were somewhere else.”

Martin: “Exactly that! The microbiome is both flora and fauna, the fauna being animals and flora being plants. There are both types of these microbes inside of you, and so as you are weeding them out with Glyphosate, just microscopic doses, you’re changing the terrain within you, which has been shown to be dramatic. The wheat that we are eating today, and the wheat products that we are eating today are nowhere near as safe as they used to be. This is gluten free craze is taking hold because people are finding that when they don’t eat wheat products, they actually feel better. The keto diet craze is taking hold because people are finding that when they are eating no grains at all (which means no wheat, no corn) they are finding themselves performing better. What if it were this contamination by Glyphosate that was the cause of that?”

Scott: “Is it possible, Martin, that gluten is the foul guy for problems people have when eating wheat? That really, maybe, it’s not gluten? Could it be other poisons that we’re using to produce the wheat?”

Martin: “It is highly possible. I had this experience myself. I went to Italy on a business trip and the only food I could find had wheat in it, like pasta and bread, that’s what you eat in Italy and so I thought: Oh, how is this going to go? Well, I have to eat something, so I guess I’m just going to cave in and see how it goes. Nothing happened. I was just fine. I can’t eat American wheat, no way; but in Italy I was able to eat it. So I was asking the host (he is a naturopathic physician): Can you please explain to me the wheat situation? And he says: Well, in Italy if it is to be called grano, which in English is grain (that’s the Italian word for wheat) it has to be grown according to the old rules, which means the three foot tall wheat, not a dwarf, not hybridized, old fashioned, old style durum wheat. Not genetically modified. And so Italians continue to eat the old style wheat. So I went online, and I was checking in with other people, and sure enough, it is true! They travel to Italy – they can eat all the pasta they want. Come back to America – not a chance.” (note: this can be true for people who are sensitive to gluten, not those who suffer from celiac disease)

Scott: “So getting back to Monsanto and Bayer. The Organization of Competitive Markets, a group that focuses on agricultural antitrust and trade policy, disagreed with the DoJ, the Department of Justice, decision to allow the merger to go through, and they came out with a statement that was: “This news makes it clear that our anti-monopoly laws are completely worthless, and the US Department of Justice merger review process is pointless. Economists have well established that there is a strong likelihood of market abuse when four companies control 45% of the market, and the fact that the DoJ has just allowed one company to control 77% of all seed corn, 69% of all seed trades and 58-97% of the markets in cotton, soybeans, and canola, means that the DoJ has just authorized a monopoly. And American families and farmers will pay the price for this action. Consumers will see fewer choices in the market. Where is the justice in the department of? Of course, Bayer says that the challenges that American growers face on a daily basis demand continuous access to new innovation, which they promised to bring.”

Martin: “Yes. Well, Bayer used to be known as the IG Farben in Germany.”

Scott: “It is important to look at the history, right?”

Martin: “Yeah, they gave us Cyclone B (Zyklon B) gas, the one that was used in the gas chambers of the concentration camps, so I don’t know, I suppose everybody has some history, it’s just that this company’s history isn’t the kind, nice, supporting humanity. They are more the I will do anything for a bit of profit kind of company, and I suspect that sort of general mindset is still with it.”

Scott: “Well, they’re after death, except instead of spraying people, they are now spraying plants.”

Martin: “Well, you know, one of their other big sellers is the neonicotinoids, which appeared to be the stuff that is responsible for the die off of the bees! In fact, in Europe, neonics have been banned. America is resisting. What we have found, for example: Consider the almonds. When you have enough bees, you can produce 3,500 pounds of almonds per acre. With no bees, it’s 400 pounds of almonds per acre. What is it going to do for the pricing when the bees disappear?”

“Well, I digress. I can just imagine that this wonderful merger is going to cause a monopolization of the seed stock, and further push into making the legislative efforts of people who want GMOs labeled and declared as more difficult. So as long as we keep voting in the people into the congress that brought us this, I think we’re going to continue to get the kind of foods that we deserve.”

Scott: “What would be some actions that people listening to this could take?”

Martin: “Well, I think it’s too late to start writing to the senators, I think they’ve already done it. So, the right action now is to get involved in the political process, is to participate, is to vote for people who are not owned by the capitol, by the big business, and first and foremost, vote with your wallet. Money is the oxygen of the economy. Wherever you put your money, that’s where the fire glows brighter. So if you want more of the unhealthy stuff, keep buying it. If you want more of the healthy stuff, then buy the healthy stuff and do not buy the other.  The most revolutionary thing you can do is support an organic farmer.”

Scott: “I saw a meme the other day that said: The most revolutionary thing you can do right now is have a garden in your backyard and grow some of your own fruits and vegetables.”

Martin: “Right, become a farmer yourself.”

Scott: “Yeah, and it’s amazing when you do that! My father had a farm in his backyard when he was living, and I have some friends that have started farming, you know, just a plot of land in their backyard, and when you eat a tomato that you grew, or a carrot that you grew, or a beet that you grew, the taste difference is absolutely astounding compared to the cardboard vegetables that we are eating in most grocery stores. It’s just absolutely amazing.”

Martin: “Right, because, of course, the vegetables in the grocery store have been selected for their durability, shelf stability, and resistance to travel damage, and color, the visual appeal on the shelf. They look good, but they’re hollow in nutrients.”

Scott: “If you’ve got to put something in a truck, and the truck is going to drive a thousand miles to get to your store, and then it’s going to run around your store, and get thrown around by the guys in this store, pretty soon, you’re going to have nothing but mushy tomatoes if you’re not careful. Which is another reason why it’s so important to buy from the local farmers.”

Martin: “So the conclusion that I have come to is that the political process is already bought and paid for, trying to fight that is a lost cause, so let’s just make a revolution locally!  As you think globally, which means try and save yourself, act locally, which means eat food that’s worth eating.”

Scott: “So, if you are involved in local food production, and part of an association, or a part of a group that’s wanting to expand that, and you want to get the word out, then contact Martin and myself, and maybe we can have you on as a guest, and you could talk from the grassroots perspective, on how you’re changing how you receiving your food, or how you’re growing your food, or how you’re getting your food. I think that would be a great thing to share with everybody. And your success stories.”

Martin: “That would be good. I remember I got a call from a Saskatchewan organic farmer a while back, and he was telling me a few stories from his life. It is not an easy life. I have an utmost admiration for the people who grow my food, and respect and gratitude, and I’m willing to pay the extra for the organic, or for the non-toxic, for the locally grown. It’s bizarre, it seems like a crazy idea to pay more for the food, but the truth is, if you don’t, you’ll end up paying for the consequence later.”

Scott: “Another reason that I think the food at the grocery stores can be so much cheaper than the food at the farmer’s market is that a lot of the food at the grocery store is subsidized. Our government is spending fortunes on sugar beet farmers or wheat farmers or dairy farmers or this farmer, that farmer, who have these huge operations, and they’re not spending any money on the small local farmers. There is the real cost of the food, and there is the subsidized cost of the food. And we are expecting the real farmer to compete with subsidized food, which is not fair. And I think, you know, one of the places that we should be really looking at changing is how we support our farmers. Everyone wants to support the farmers, but we are really supporting, like the farmer that has ten thousand square miles of farm, and is it really just a corporation that’s running everything as a factory, as opposed to our local farmers, who are right in the dirt, working with their hands. They love their plants, that’s the one thing I noticed, when I’m at the farmer’s market, talking to farmers, they can tell me the whole story of this tomato that I’m thinking of buying, they remember when it was a seed, and when the first sprout came out and all the rest of it… I’m exaggerating only slightly! But when they talk about the different types of produce that they’re bringing, or the cheeses that they are bringing, there’s a totally different story than when you’re talking to somebody that’s working for a large agricultural conglomerate, who’s trying to get you to buy their products on the wholesale level.”

Martin: “Indeed, a good point. There is a political issue to subsidies, the distortions, the redistribution of wealth, where the government chooses to subsidize specific industries, and the subsidized crops are corn, soy, and wheat. They produce the most affordable food that does the most damage.”

Scott: “The cheapest food, with the least amount of nutrition in it.”

Martin: “And the highest amount of toxins. I would say it this way. There is great hope for everyone, provided they wake up and start thinking globally, acting locally, and buying themselves food that’s worth eating, which means organic as much as possible, local as much as possible. And this is a place where we could pitch the Exsula superfoods, because every bottle of that is filled with molecules of food that are worth having.”

“And a congratulations to Bayer on a wonderful achievement. They are buying Monsanto, they’re becoming essentially the world’s dominant food producer. They own the seeds, they own the marketing rights to the reproduction of plant left. It’s just wild.”

Scott: “Yeah, and I’m hoping that the change of the name, or the dropping of the Monsanto name doesn’t mean that they are all of a sudden able to slide all the Monsanto products that are banned in other countries back into those countries. Because it’s no longer Monsanto, it’s Bayer and it’s fine…”

Martin: “…and it’s no longer the damn Americans that are trying to import into European Union, now it’s a European based company that wants to sell those goods. Well, it’s going to be interesting, because France has been adamant in blocking these things from coming into the country. We will see.”

Scott: “It will be interesting, we will keep you up to date! So, thank you for joining us, everybody! If you’ve got any concerns about your health, and you want to have someone that you can trust and talk to, give Martin a call, e-mail him, or go to our website, www.life-enthusiast.com, there’s lots of information that can help you, and we are here for you! So, Martin, if somebody was interested in getting a hold of you, how can they do that?”

Martin: “We do answer the phone at (866) 543-3388, and the website as Scott already mentioned, www.life-enthusiast.com.”

Scott: “Thanks for joining us, everybody! This was the Life Enthusiast online radio and TV network, restoring vitality to you and the planet! See you next time. Bye, bye!”