One product from Monsanto that has varying ethical aspects from various stakeholder viewpoints is its genetically modified sweet corn. Consumers of the products resulting from genetically modified plants are major stakeholders for Monsanto, and many of these consumers voice little concern for potential or theoretical issues involving genetically modified organisms. However, there is a growing and significant number of these consumers that are voicing concerns regarding potential health and environment impact that genetically modified foods and plants may have. While breeding plants for specific traits has been utilized for extensive periods of time, the artificial implantation of specific genetic traits has only recently been available as technology
…show more content…
These key stakeholders have concerns not only about the potential impact on the health of individuals consuming the finished products that result from these genetically modified products. There are also major concerns from these stakeholders regarding the potential impact that these altered plants have on our entire eco-system. There is documented evidence that there are weeds and insects that are becoming resistant to products similar to Monsanto’s genetically modified sweet corn. Government regulators and Monsanto have mandated farmers to rotate crops and vary herbicides in order to combat the resistance issues. However, this is difficult to enforce, particularly in countries with low enforcement and a lack of education regarding these environmental impact issues (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015). Monsanto would counter-argue that its genetically modified sweet corn actually has a positive impact on the environment as it reduces the use of other insectides which can damage the environment, as well as decreasing the use of fossil fuels required for insecticide application and corn harvesting (Monsanto, …show more content…
Through the use of Monsanto’s genetically modified sweet corn seeds, farmers are able to produce much more corn per acre than they have in the past (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015). However, this increase in yield has corresponded with a decrease in the price farmers can charge for their corn (Picker, Hakim, & de la Merced, 2016). With seed prices increasing, many of these corn farmers, particularly in the U.S., have begun to take a loss on their harvests. Monsanto’s solution appears to be to convince farmers to increase the use of Monsanto products such as corn seeds with even higher yields, as well as the use of data technologies to otherwise increase yields and efficiency (Picker, Hakim, & de la Merced,
These key stakeholders have concerns not only about the potential impact on the health of individuals consuming the finished products that result from these genetically modified products. There are also major concerns from these stakeholders regarding the potential impact that these altered plants have on our entire eco-system. There is documented evidence that there are weeds and insects that are becoming resistant to products similar to Monsanto’s genetically modified sweet corn. Government regulators and Monsanto have mandated farmers to rotate crops and vary herbicides in order to combat the resistance issues. However, this is difficult to enforce, particularly in countries with low enforcement and a lack of education regarding these environmental impact issues (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015). Monsanto would counter-argue that its genetically modified sweet corn actually has a positive impact on the environment as it reduces the use of other insectides which can damage the environment, as well as decreasing the use of fossil fuels required for insecticide application and corn harvesting (Monsanto, …show more content…
Through the use of Monsanto’s genetically modified sweet corn seeds, farmers are able to produce much more corn per acre than they have in the past (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2015). However, this increase in yield has corresponded with a decrease in the price farmers can charge for their corn (Picker, Hakim, & de la Merced, 2016). With seed prices increasing, many of these corn farmers, particularly in the U.S., have begun to take a loss on their harvests. Monsanto’s solution appears to be to convince farmers to increase the use of Monsanto products such as corn seeds with even higher yields, as well as the use of data technologies to otherwise increase yields and efficiency (Picker, Hakim, & de la Merced,