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French court finds Monsanto guilty of poisoning farmer

157 points by ciconia 8y ago

exodus_de 8y ago
This is one of those examples on why healthcare/insurance in the US is so much more expensive. When a French court awards you damages, it's peanuts: One million euros plus 50,000€ in legal fees. In the US, one million probably wouldn't even cover the legal fees.
dessant 8y ago
I wonder if they'll also change ways, or just names. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/04/monsanto-to-ditch-its-infamous-name-after-sale-to-bayer https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/04/monsanto-to...
- exodus_de 8y ago
  These are two different kinds of cases. In this case, the substance was known to be harmful but the court ruled it was not properly labeled. In the case of Roundup/Glyphosate, it isn't known to be harmful, at least not in the sense that it causes cancer. It was a kangaroo court case. One can argue that the risks of Glyphosate are unknown, but that's true of a lot of chemicals that farming/industry relies on. For what we do know, Glyphosate is relatively harmless. It's the most common herbicide in use and it's produced by several other companies besides Monsanto.
- chris_mc 8y ago
  They won't change anything while they spend the next 10 years in legal maneuvers to draw out the case, then, probably after they've made another billion euros on other shitty, dangerous products, they will settle out of court for a pittance compared to the profit they made off of this and other discontinued and dangerous chemicals.
ftr45 8y ago
this is bullshit ,scientifically a process is irrelevant ,glyphosate is safe
- crooked-v 8y ago
  This lawsuit is about monochlorobenzene, not glyphosate.
- codewritinfool 8y ago
  You didn't even read the article?
ddoran 8y ago
I happen to be staying at a b&b at a organic French vineyard right now. We stayed here because the owner has written three books about the experience [1] and it was in an area we wanted to visit (between Bordeaux and Bergerac) rather than because it was organic. As we have walked around this area, I've been horrified by the contrast between organic vineyards and those which are not. The non-organic vineyards have scorched dead brown grass a foot either side of every row of vines, from insecticide which is applied every 6 weeks. The organic vines are surrounded by green grass and wildflowers. 94% of Bordeaux wine is not organic. There is a lot of scorched dead grass. Before this "organic" to me meant: expensive, nice idea, faddish and definitely not something I sought out. This trip has been life-changing. I've become an organic convert overnight. I do not want to eat fruit or plant byproducts from roots which are constantly exposed to weedkiller or insecticide so strong that it kills all around it (except the root itself). [1]- https://www.amazon.com/s?k=caro+feely&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=caro+feely&ref=nb_sb_noss_2
- kamilner 8y ago
  Ironically, organic wine is one of the organic products that’s least sustainable, because of the widespread use of copper sulfate (conventional vineyards use it too, but also have other more sustainable options). It builds up in the soil and in the vineyard workers. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/06/09/winemakers-abandoning-organic-status-support-environment-improve-taste/ https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/06/09/winemakers-aba...
- blackbrokkoli 8y ago
  While your sentiment is noble, please be aware that "organic" is often used as a very broad (read: marketing) term and that you have to research individual producers, products and country laws to be sure that "organic" means the latter and not the former.
  - frankbreetz 8y ago
    In USA organic has a very strict definition. Natural on the otherhand doesn't actually mean anything
throwawaymanbot 8y ago
Isnt it odd that the top comment is essentially attacking french wine as being toxic.. Are commentators on here for anything monsanto related astroturfed?

157 points by ciconia 8y ago

This is one of those examples on why healthcare/insurance in the US is so much more expensive. When a French court awards you damages, it's peanuts: One million euros plus 50,000€ in legal fees. In the US, one million probably wouldn't even cover the legal fees.

dessant 8y ago

I wonder if they'll also change ways, or just names. https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/04/monsanto-to-ditch-its-infamous-name-after-sale-to-bayer https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/jun/04/monsanto-to...

exodus_de 8y ago
These are two different kinds of cases. In this case, the substance was known to be harmful but the court ruled it was not properly labeled. In the case of Roundup/Glyphosate, it isn't known to be harmful, at least not in the sense that it causes cancer. It was a kangaroo court case. One can argue that the risks of Glyphosate are unknown, but that's true of a lot of chemicals that farming/industry relies on. For what we do know, Glyphosate is relatively harmless. It's the most common herbicide in use and it's produced by several other companies besides Monsanto.
chris_mc 8y ago
They won't change anything while they spend the next 10 years in legal maneuvers to draw out the case, then, probably after they've made another billion euros on other shitty, dangerous products, they will settle out of court for a pittance compared to the profit they made off of this and other discontinued and dangerous chemicals.

ftr45 8y ago

this is bullshit ,scientifically a process is irrelevant ,glyphosate is safe

crooked-v 8y ago
This lawsuit is about monochlorobenzene, not glyphosate.
codewritinfool 8y ago
You didn't even read the article?

ddoran 8y ago

I happen to be staying at a b&b at a organic French vineyard right now. We stayed here because the owner has written three books about the experience [1] and it was in an area we wanted to visit (between Bordeaux and Bergerac) rather than because it was organic. As we have walked around this area, I've been horrified by the contrast between organic vineyards and those which are not. The non-organic vineyards have scorched dead brown grass a foot either side of every row of vines, from insecticide which is applied every 6 weeks. The organic vines are surrounded by green grass and wildflowers. 94% of Bordeaux wine is not organic. There is a lot of scorched dead grass. Before this "organic" to me meant: expensive, nice idea, faddish and definitely not something I sought out. This trip has been life-changing. I've become an organic convert overnight. I do not want to eat fruit or plant byproducts from roots which are constantly exposed to weedkiller or insecticide so strong that it kills all around it (except the root itself). [1]- https://www.amazon.com/s?k=caro+feely&ref=nb_sb_noss_2 https://www.amazon.com/s?k=caro+feely&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

kamilner 8y ago
Ironically, organic wine is one of the organic products that’s least sustainable, because of the widespread use of copper sulfate (conventional vineyards use it too, but also have other more sustainable options). It builds up in the soil and in the vineyard workers. https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/06/09/winemakers-abandoning-organic-status-support-environment-improve-taste/ https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2017/06/09/winemakers-aba...
blackbrokkoli 8y ago
While your sentiment is noble, please be aware that "organic" is often used as a very broad (read: marketing) term and that you have to research individual producers, products and country laws to be sure that "organic" means the latter and not the former.
- frankbreetz 8y ago
  In USA organic has a very strict definition. Natural on the otherhand doesn't actually mean anything

throwawaymanbot 8y ago

Isnt it odd that the top comment is essentially attacking french wine as being toxic.. Are commentators on here for anything monsanto related astroturfed?