The world according to Monsanto : pollution, corruption, and

208 the world according to monsantovestigated 475 cases of “piracy,” and up to 2004, the annual average wasmore than 500. The CFS compared these data with a list of lawsuits filedagainst American farmers by Monsanto, compiled by the Administrative Officeof the U.S. Courts, which by 2005 had recorded ninety suits. 10 The averagedamage amount won by the company was $412,259, with a high of$3,052,800, for a total of $15,253,602 (in a few exceptional cases growerswere exonerated). The suits led to the bankruptcy of eight farmers. Mendelsontold me, “These numbers are only the tip of the iceberg, because theycover only the rare cases that went to court. The vast majority of farmerswho were sued, very often unjustly, decided to negotiate a settlement becausethey were afraid of the costs of a trial against Monsanto. And none ofthese settlements show up because they all contained a confidentialityclause. That’s why we were able to analyze only the cases that ended with averdict.”The CFS report discloses that Monsanto has an annual budget of $10million and a staff of seventy-five to conduct its “investigations.” Its primarysource of information is the toll-free number 1-800-ROUNDUP, which thecompany officially inaugurated on September 29, 1998, in a formal press release:“Dial 1-800-ROUNDUP; tell the rep that you want to report some potentialseed law violations or other information. It is important to use ‘landlines’ rather than cellular phones due to the number of people who scan cellularcalls. You may call the information in anonymously but please leaveyour name and number if possible for any needed follow up.” 11 According toDaniel Charles, the tip line received fifteen hundred calls in 1999, five hundredof which triggered an investigation. 12 Questioned about the line, criticizedfor “fraying the social fabric that holds farming communities together,”in the measured words of the Washington Post, Karen Marshall, a spokespersonfor Monsanto, replied simply: “This is part of the agricultural revolution,and any revolution is painful. But the technology is good technology.” 13“We Own Anybody That Buys Our Products”Most farmers who had lost cases contacted by the CFS told the same story:one day an agent, usually a Pinkerton man, knocked on their door, sometimesaccompanied by the police. He asked to see their invoices for seedsand herbicides and demanded that he be allowed to go into their fields,