The world according to Monsanto : pollution, corruption, and

114 the world according to monsantoturning serious, he warned at the outset: “I’ve agreed to meet with you, becauseJohn persuaded me that you were on the level and someone has tospeak out so companies like Monsanto will stop spreading their control overagriculture in this country. My story is unfortunately quite common. Oneday, in 1992 or 1993, my veterinarian told me about a miracle drug that wasabout to come on the market and that, he said, would considerably increasemy revenues. Since we’re in a business where we’re often financially onedge, I agreed to try it as soon as it was available.”“Did veterinarians commonly promote rBGH?” I asked, a bit surprised.“Yes,” said Kinsman. “Monsanto was constantly propagandizing for itsproduct even before it was approved. The company offered a $300 bonus toevery veterinarian who persuaded a farmer to use it. It also organized promotionalbanquets in all the dairy states, at which it distributed a video toutingthe virtues of the growth hormone.”I saw this for myself when I got a copy of the video produced by Monsanto,showing a gentleman with a very professorial air strolling around adairy farm and talking about the advantages of rBGH, “the most studiedproduct in the history of the FDA.” “The drug has been tested for years, andit works,” he asserts, as a man nearby injects a row of astonishingly docilecows. Monsanto started distributing this video to farmers in the late 1980s,provoking the anger of the FDA. On January 9, 1991, Gerald B. Guest, directorof the CVM, sent a letter to David Kowalczyk of Monsanto: “Overthe past several years your company has developed a large number of items,including brochures, video tapes and sponsored meetings, which in part promotebovine somatotropin (BST) as being safe and/or effective for increasingmilk production in dairy cattle even though all BST products are stillunder investigation to determine whether they can be legally marketed inthe United States. [Federal regulations do] not permit the sponsor, or anyoneacting on behalf of the sponsor, to represent that a new animal drug issafe or effective for the purposes for which it is under investigation.” Theletter goes on to note that among the events were “cocktails and dinners”organized for veterinarians and “CVM personnel,” who always refused toparticipate. Honor was preserved. Meanwhile, the FDA official politely orderedMonsanto to halt these illegal promotional practices or face penalties.