Editing Monsanto (section)

==Products and associated issues==

===Current products===

====Glyphosate herbicides====
{{See also|Glyphosate}}

Following its 1970 introduction, Monsanto's last commercially relevant United States patent on the herbicide glyphosate (brand name RoundUp) expired in 2000. Glyphosate has since been marketed by many [[agrochemical]] companies, in various solution strengths and with various [[Agricultural spray adjuvant|adjuvants]], under dozens of tradenames.<ref>Farm Chemicals International [http://www.farmchemicalsinternational.com/crop-protection-database/#//product/brief/203900 Glyphosate entry in Crop Protection Database]</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fruits/gapeach/pdf/mirror.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100614082039/http://www.caes.uga.edu/commodities/fruits/gapeach/pdf/mirror.pdf |archive-date=2010-06-14 |url-status=live |title=Mirror or Mirror on the Wall Show Me the Best Glyphosate Formulation of All |author=Mitchem W |publisher=North Carolina State University Extension |access-date=July 23, 2013}}</ref><ref name="urlISU Weed Science Online - Glyphosate - A Review">{{cite web |url=http://www.weeds.iastate.edu/mgmt/2001/glyphosate%20review.htm#Glyphosate%20Products |title=ISU Weed Science Online – Glyphosate – A Review |author=Hartzler B |publisher=Iowa State University Extension |access-date=August 5, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518051215/http://www.weeds.iastate.edu/mgmt/2001/glyphosate%20review.htm#Glyphosate%20Products |archive-date=May 18, 2018  }}</ref><ref name="Weed Handbook Glyphosate">{{cite web |url=http://www.invasive.org/gist/products/handbook/14.Glyphosate.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121021002518/http://www.invasive.org/gist/products/handbook/14.Glyphosate.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-21 |url-status=live |title=Glyphosate |vauthors=Tu M, Hurd C, Robison R, Randall JM |date=November 1, 2001 |work=Weed Control Methods Handbook |publisher=The Nature Conservancy}}</ref> As of 2009, glyphosate represented about 10% of Monsanto's revenue.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14904184 |title=The debate over whether Monsanto is a corporate sinner or saint |date=November 19, 2009 |magazine=The Economist |access-date=November 20, 2009}}</ref> Roundup-related products (which include genetically modified seeds) represented about half of Monsanto's [[gross margin]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/06/29/monsanto-potash-fertilizer-personal-finance-investing-ideas-agrium-mosaic.html |title=The Seeds Of A Monsanto Short Play |author= Cavallaro M |date=June 26, 2009 |magazine=Forbes |access-date=July 11, 2009}}</ref>

====Crop seed====
{{See also|Hybrid seed|Genetically modified crops|Genetically modified food|Genetically modified food controversies}}

As of 2015, Monsanto's line of seed products included corn, cotton, soy and vegetable seeds.

==== Row crops ====
Many of Monsanto's agricultural seed products are genetically modified, such as for resistance to [[herbicide]]s, including glyphosate and [[dicamba]]. Monsanto calls glyphosate-tolerant seeds ''Roundup Ready''. Monsanto's introduction of this system (planting a glyphosate-resistant seed and then applying glyphosate once plants emerged) allowed farmers to increase yield by planting rows closer together.<ref name=HighPlainsJ>{{cite web |url=http://www.hpj.com/archives/roundup-ready-soybean-trait-patent-nears-expiration-in/article_8c7a83b7-2a37-5291-9204-2633eb3e4c0d.html |title=Roundup Ready soybean trait patent nears expiration in 2014 |publisher=High Plains Journal |date=August 10, 2010 |author=Latzke, Jennifer M. |access-date=March 23, 2015 |archive-date=January 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200107122725/https://www.hpj.com/archives/roundup-ready-soybean-trait-patent-nears-expiration-in/article_8c7a83b7-2a37-5291-9204-2633eb3e4c0d.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Without it, farmers had to plant rows far enough apart to allow the control of post-emergent weeds with mechanical tillage.<ref name=HighPlainsJ /> Farmers widely adopted the technology—for example over 80% of maize ([[Mon 832]]), [[Roundup Ready soybean|soybean]] (MON-Ø4Ø32-6), cotton, [[sugar beet]] and [[canola]] planted in the United States are [[glyphosate]]-tolerant. Monsanto developed a Roundup Ready [[genetically modified wheat]] ([[MON 71800]]) but ended development in 2004 due to concerns from wheat exporters about the rejection of genetically modified (GM) wheat by foreign markets.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Person|first1=Daniel|title=Sale could change wheat industry: WestBred's owner Monsanto looks to develop 'genetically modified' varieties|url=http://missoulian.com/business/agriculture/sale-could-change-wheat-industry-westbred-s-owner-monsanto-looks/article_1db27912-ac3b-11de-8024-001cc4c002e0.html|website=Missoulian|date=September 28, 2009|access-date=May 4, 2016}}</ref>

Two patents were critical to Monsanto's GM soybean business; one expired in 2011 and the other in 2014.<ref>Patently-O Blog, September 26, 2011. [http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2011/09/when-monsantos-patents-expire.html When Monsanto's Patents Expire]</ref> The second expiration meant that glyphosate resistant soybeans became "generic".<ref name="HighPlainsJ" /><ref>Andrew Pollack, [https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/18/business/18seed.html "As Patent Ends, a Seed's Use Will Survive"], ''The New York Times''. December 17, 2009.</ref><ref>Illinois Soybean Association [http://www.ilsoy.org/sites/default/files/documents/1105.pdf Get Ready: Post-Patent Roundup Ready 1 Era Coming] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402154825/http://www.ilsoy.org/sites/default/files/documents/1105.pdf |date=April 2, 2015 }}</ref><ref>Monsanto Official Website [http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/roundup-ready-patent-expiration.aspx Roundup Ready Soybean Patent Expiration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130122132343/http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/roundup-ready-patent-expiration.aspx |date=January 22, 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_05/b4165019364939.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127202826/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_05/b4165019364939.htm|archive-date=January 27, 2010|title=Monsanto Will Let Bio-Crop Patents Expire|date=January 21, 2010|work=Business Week}}</ref> The first harvest of generic glyphosate-tolerant soybeans came in 2015.<ref>Monsanto. [http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/pages/roundup-ready-patent-expiration.aspx Roundup Ready Soybean Patent Expiration] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150208222145/http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/pages/roundup-ready-patent-expiration.aspx |date=February 8, 2015 }}</ref> Monsanto broadly licensed the patent to other seed companies that include glyphosate resistance trait in their seed products.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/Pages/seed-licensing.aspx |title=Monsanto ~ Licensing |publisher=Monsanto.com |date=November 3, 2008 }}</ref> About 150 companies have licensed the technology,<ref>[https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122498255 Monsanto GMO Ignites Big Seed War]. NPR.</ref> including competitors Syngenta<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.syngenta-us.com/legal/useragreement.html |title=User Agreement and Legal Information|publisher=Syngenta.com}}</ref> and [[DuPont Pioneer]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pioneer.com/home/site/us/agronomy/library/template.CONTENT/guid.80D8C28A-31F7-C434-64D9-D61AAF9D661C/ |title=Agronomy Library – Pioneer Hi-Bred Agronomy Library |publisher=Pioneer.com |access-date=August 30, 2012 |archive-date=October 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017162512/https://www.pioneer.com/home/site/us/agronomy/library/template.CONTENT/guid.80D8C28A-31F7-C434-64D9-D61AAF9D661C/  }}</ref>

Monsanto invented and sells genetically modified seeds that make a crystalline insecticidal protein from ''[[Bacillus thuringiensis]]'', known as Bt. In 1995 Monsanto's potato plants producing Bt toxin were approved by the [[Environmental Protection Agency]], following approval by the FDA, making it the first pesticide-producing crop to be approved in the United States.<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=A0YyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jOYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4631,1776980&dq=bacillus+thuringiensis+potato+1996+approved&hl= Genetically Altered Potato Ok'd For Crops]
''Lawrence Journal-World'', May 6, 1995.</ref> Monsanto subsequently developed [[Transgenic maize#Bt corn|Bt maize]] ([[MON 802]], [[MON 809]], [[MON 863]], [[MON 810]]), [[Genetically modified soybean|Bt soybean]]<ref>{{cite web|author=Crop Biotech Update |url=http://www.isaaa.org/kc/cropbiotechupdate/article/default.asp?ID=6565 |title=Monsanto's Bt Roundup Ready 2 Yield Soybeans Approved for Planting in Brazil – Crop Biotech Update (8/27/2010) &#124; ISAAA.org/KC |publisher=Isaaa.org |date=August 27, 2010}}</ref> and [[Bt cotton]].

Monsanto produces seed that has multiple genetic modifications, also known as "stacked traits"—for instance, cotton that make one or more Bt proteins and is resistant to glyphosate. One of these, created in collaboration with [[Dow Chemical Company]], is called [[SmartStax]]. In 2011 Monsanto launched the Genuity brand for its stacked-trait products.<ref>[http://southeastfarmpress.com/agribusiness-monsanto-unveils-genuity-branding "Agribusiness: Monsanto unveils Genuity branding"]. ''SE Farm News'', March 2, 2009.</ref>

As of 2012, the agricultural seed lineup included ''Roundup Ready'' alfalfa, canola and sugarbeet; Bt and/or ''Roundup Ready'' cotton; sorghum hybrids; soybeans with various oil profiles, most with the ''Roundup Ready'' trait; and a wide range of wheat products, many of which incorporate the nontransgenic "clearfield" imazamox-tolerant<ref>{{cite web|url=http://agproducts.basf.us/products/clearfield-wheat.html |title=The CLEARFIELD Production System for Wheat|publisher=Agproducts.basf.us}}</ref> trait from [[BASF]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/monsanto-agricultural-seeds.aspx |title=Monsanto ~ Agricultural Seeds |publisher=Monsanto.com |date=November 3, 2008 |access-date=August 17, 2012 |archive-date=June 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120616173630/http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/monsanto-agricultural-seeds.aspx  }}</ref>

In 2013 Monsanto launched the first transgenic drought tolerance trait in a line of corn hybrids branded DroughtGard.<ref>OECD BioTrack Database. [http://www2.oecd.org/biotech/Product.aspx?id=MON-8746%C3%98-4 MON87460] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701140407/http://www2.oecd.org/biotech/Product.aspx?id=MON-8746%C3%98-4 |date=July 1, 2017 }}</ref> The MON 87460 trait is provided by the insertion of the cspB gene from the soil microbe ''[[Bacillus subtilis]]''; it was approved by the USDA in 2011<ref>[http://www.aphis.usda.gov/brs/fedregister/BRS_20111227c.pdf Federal Register], Vol. 76, No. 248, December 27, 2011.</ref> and by China in 2013.<ref>Michael Eisenstein [http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v501/n7468_supp/full/501S7a.html "Plant breeding: Discovery in a dry spell"] ''Nature'' 501, S7–S9 (September 26, 2013) Published online September 25, 2013.</ref>

The "Xtend Crop System" includes seed genetically modified to be resistant to both glyphosate and [[dicamba]], and a herbicide product including those two active ingredients.<ref name="XtendOfficial">[http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/roundup-ready-xtend-crop-system.aspx Roundup Ready Xtend Crop System] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402202350/http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/roundup-ready-xtend-crop-system.aspx |date=April 2, 2013 }} Accessed May 11, 2013</ref> In December 2014, the system was approved for use in the US. In February 2016, China approved the Roundup Ready 2 Xtend system.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.agweb.com/article/roundup-ready-2-xtend-finally-approved-by-china-naa-sonja-begemann/|title=Roundup Ready 2 Xtend Finally Approved by China|website=AgWeb – The Home Page of Agriculture|language=en-US|access-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref> The lack of European Union approval led many American traders to reject the use of Xtend soybeans over concerns that the new seeds would become mixed with EU-approved seeds, leading Europe to reject American soybean exports.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/grain-traders-rejecting-new-soybeans-developed-by-monsanto-1462217040|title=Grain Traders Rejecting New Soybeans Developed by Monsanto|last=Bunge|first=Jacob|date=2016-05-02|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal |issn=0099-9660|access-date=May 6, 2016}}</ref>

==== India-specific issues ====
In 2009, Monsanto scientists discovered insects that had developed resistance to the [[Bt cotton|Bt Cotton]] planted in [[Gujarat]]. Monsanto communicated this to the Indian government and its customers, stating that "Resistance is natural and expected, so measures to delay resistance are important. Among the factors that may have contributed to [[pink bollworm]] resistance to the Cry1Ac protein in Bollgard I in Gujarat are limited refuge planting and early use of unapproved Bt cotton seed, planted prior to GEAC approval of Bollgard I cotton, which may have had lower protein expression levels."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/india-pink-bollworm.aspx|title=Monsanto ~ Cotton In India|date=November 3, 2008|publisher=Monsanto.com}}</ref> The company advised farmers to switch to its second generation of Bt cotton – Bolgard II – which had two resistance genes instead of one,<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/06/stories/2010030664831400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315155536/http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/06/stories/2010030664831400.htm|archive-date=March 15, 2010|title=Bt cotton ineffective against pest in parts of Gujarat, admits Monsanto|date=March 6, 2010|work=[[The Hindu]]|place=Chennai, India}}</ref> the widely recognised [[best practice]] to forestall, prevent, and cope with any kind of [[pesticide resistance]].<ref name="USEPA-resis-man">{{cite web | title=Slowing and Combating Pest Resistance to Pesticides | author=US EPA ([[United States Environmental Protection Agency]]) | date=May 12, 2016 | url=http://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/slowing-and-combating-pest-resistance-pesticides | access-date=2021-10-28}}</ref><ref name="Pesti-Stew">{{cite web | last=Buhler | first=Wayne | title=Take Steps to Avoid Insecticide Resistance – Pesticide Environmental Stewardship | website=Pesticide Environmental Stewardship | publisher=[[North Carolina Extension]] | url=http://pesticidestewardship.org/resistance/insecticide-resistance/take-steps-to-avoid-insecticide-resistance/ | access-date=2021-10-28}}</ref><ref name="WSU Tree Fruit 2018">{{cite web | title=Managing Pesticide Resistance | website=[[Washington State University|WSU]] Tree Fruit | date=2018-05-15 | url=http://treefruit.wsu.edu/crop-protection/opm/resistance/ | access-date=2021-10-28}}</ref><ref name="USDA-NIFA">{{cite web | url=http://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resources/Insecticide%20resistance.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910030336/http://nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resources/Insecticide%20resistance.pdf |archive-date=2015-09-10 |url-status=live | title=Insecticide Resistance: Causes and Action | author1=[[Insecticide Resistance Action Committee]] | author2=Regional IPM Centers | website=USDA ([[United States Department of Agriculture]])}}</ref><ref name="BASF-insecti-MoAs">{{cite web | url=http://agriculture.basf.com/global/assets/en/Crop%20Protection/innovation/BASF_Insecticide_MoA_Manual_2014.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420062556/https://agriculture.basf.com/global/assets/en/Crop%20Protection/innovation/BASF_Insecticide_MoA_Manual_2014.pdf |archive-date=2021-04-20 |url-status=live | title=Insecticide Mode of Action - Technical Training Manual | author=[[BASF]]}}</ref><ref name="Fr-resis-man">{{cite web | title=La résistance aux produits phytopharmaceutiques | date=2016-03-29 | url=http://agriculture.gouv.fr/la-resistance-aux-produits-phytopharmaceutiques | quote=Il faut aussi ... varier les modes d'actions ... et éviter les faux mélanges de produits ayant le même mode d'action qui ne font qu'augmenter le risque | website=[[Ministry of Agriculture (France)|French Agriculture Ministry]] | first=Christophe | last=Délye | trans-quote=We must also ... vary the MOAs ... and avoid fake mixes with the same MOA which only increase the risk.}}</ref><ref name="De-sustain">{{cite web | url=http://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/Publications/NAP.html | title=National Action Plan on Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products | website=[[Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Germany)|German Agriculture Ministry]] | quote=The varieties being grown today are usually resistant to or tolerant of individual biotic or abiotic influences. Resistances based solely on one plant characteristic (often controlled through one gene) can be broken by adapting the harmful organisms. Increasingly, the aim in resistance research is to create modern breeding measures which breed polygenic resistant plants with resistance mechanisms that harmful organisms find it difficult to circumvent. | access-date=October 28, 2021 | archive-date=October 30, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211030033850/https://www.bmel.de/SharedDocs/Downloads/EN/Publications/NAP.html  }}</ref> However, this advice was criticized: "an internal analysis of the statement of the Ministry of Environment and Forests says it 'appears that this could be a business strategy to phase out single gene events [that is, the first-generation Bollgard I product] and promote double genes [the second generation Bollgard II] which would fetch higher price.{{'"}}<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/12/stories/2010031263690900.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100314222159/http://www.hindu.com/2010/03/12/stories/2010031263690900.htm|archive-date=March 14, 2010|title=Monsanto 'admission' has business motives?|date=March 12, 2010|work=[[The Hindu]]|place=Chennai, India}}</ref>

Monsanto's GM cotton seed was the subject of NGO agitation because of its higher cost. Indian farmers crossed GM varieties with local varieties, using [[plant breeding]], violating their agreements with Monsanto.<ref>Ghosh, Pallab (June 17, 2003), [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/science/nature/2998150.stm "India's GM seed Piracy"], [[BBC News]].</ref> In 2009, high prices of Bt Cotton were blamed for forcing farmers of [[Jhabua]] district into debt when the crops died due to lack of rain.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2009/08/25/stories/2009082554841400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090828160245/http://www.hindu.com/2009/08/25/stories/2009082554841400.htm|archive-date=August 28, 2009|title=Jhabua on its way to becoming Vidarbha-II?|date=August 25, 2009|work=[[The Hindu]]|place=Chennai, India}}</ref>

==== Vegetables ====
In 2012 Monsanto was the world's largest supplier of non-GE vegetable seeds by value, with sales of $800M. 95% of the research and development for vegetable seed is in conventional breeding. The company concentrates on improving flavor.<ref name="wsj0612" /> According to their website they sell "4,000 distinct seed varieties representing more than 20 species".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/vegetable-seeds.aspx |title=Monsanto ~ Monsanto Vegetable Seeds |publisher=Monsanto.com  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120610041315/http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/vegetable-seeds.aspx |archive-date=June 10, 2012  }}</ref> Broccoli, with the brand name ''Beneforté'', with increased amounts of [[glucoraphanin]] was introduced in 2010 following development by its [[Seminis]] subsidiary.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.wired.com/2014/01/new-monsanto-vegetables/|title=Monsanto is going organic in a quest for the perfect veggie|magazine=Wired|year=2015|author=Wired}}</ref>

===Former products===

====Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)====
Until it ended production in 1977, Monsanto was the source of 99% of the [[polychlorinated biphenyls]] (PCBs) used by U.S. industry.<ref name = "ATSDR"/> They were sold under brand names including Aroclor and Santotherm; the name Santotherm is still used for non-chlorinated products.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Mitchell D. |last1=Erickson |first2=Robert G. |last2=Kaley, II |title=Applications of polychlorinated biphenyls |journal=Environmental Science and Pollution Research International |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=135–51 |publisher=Springer-Verlag |url=http://cdn.eastchem.com/therminol/Applications_of_PCBs_Erickson_Kaley_Aug2010_AuthorsProof_0.pdf |access-date=2015-03-03 |pmid=20848233 |year=2011 |doi=10.1007/s11356-010-0392-1 |bibcode=2011ESPR...18..135E |s2cid=25260209 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402163101/http://cdn.eastchem.com/therminol/Applications_of_PCBs_Erickson_Kaley_Aug2010_AuthorsProof_0.pdf |archive-date=April 2, 2015  }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Crompton|first=T R|title=Determination of Organic Compounds in Natural and Treated Waters|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=wIKYde_zKqMC|page=396}}|date=June 1, 2002|publisher=CRC Press|page=396|isbn=978-0-203-01635-0}}</ref> PCBs are a [[persistent organic pollutant]], and cause [[cancer]] in both animals and humans, among other health effects.<ref name="EPA Health Effects">[http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/hazard/tsd/pcbs/pubs/effects.htm "Health Effects of PCBs"], U.S. Environmental Protection Agency</ref> PCBs were initially welcomed due to the electrical industry's need for durable, safer (than flammable [[mineral oil]]) cooling and insulating fluid for industrial transformers and capacitors. PCBs were also commonly used as stabilizing additives in the manufacture of flexible PVC coatings for electrical wiring and in electronic components to enhance PVC heat and fire resistance.<ref>{{cite book |title=Health Concerns and Environmental Issues with PVC-Containing Building Materials in Green Buildings |author1=Karlyn Black Kaley |author2=Jim Carlisle |author3=David Siegel |author4=Julio Salinas |publisher=Integrated Waste Management Board, California Environmental Protection Agency, USA |date=October 2006 |page=11 |url=http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/publications/GreenBuilding/43106016.pdf |access-date=October 21, 2012 |archive-date=July 15, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715221107/http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Publications/GreenBuilding/43106016.pdf  }}</ref> As transformer leaks occurred and toxicity problems arose near factories, their durability and toxicity became recognized as serious problems. PCB production was banned by the U.S. Congress in 1979 and by the [[Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants]] in 2001.<ref name="ATSDR">[http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp17-c5.pdf "PCBs: Production, Import/Export, Use, and Disposal"], Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, at 467.</ref><ref name="EPA2">{{cite web|url=http://www.epa.gov/region2/pcbs/index.html|title=PCB's in NYC Schools – Region 2 – US EPA|date=January 29, 2013 |access-date=September 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906133728/http://www.epa.gov/region02/pcbs/index.html|archive-date=September 6, 2015}}</ref><ref name="EPA">[https://web.archive.org/web/20150627014048/http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/international/agreements/ "International Agreements and Treaties on Pesticides"], Pesticides: International Activities, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Archived from [http://www.epa.gov/oppfead1/international/agreements/ the original] on June 27, 2015.</ref>

==== Agent Orange ====
{{Main|Agent Orange}}
Monsanto, [[Dow Chemical]], and eight other chemical companies made [[Agent Orange]] for the [[United States Department of Defense|U.S. Department of Defense]].<ref name="EncNatSec" />{{rp|6}} It was given its name from the color of the orange-striped [[Drum (container)|barrels]] in which it was shipped, and was by far the most widely used of the so-called "[[Rainbow Herbicides]]".<ref name="hay-1982-p151">{{cite book|last=Hay|first=Alastair|title=The Chemical Scythe: Lessons of 2,4,5-T and Dioxin|url={{google books |plainurl=y |id=V524J4zh06MC|page=151}}|date=September 1, 1982|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-0-306-40973-8|pages=151–}}</ref>

==== Bovine somatotropin ====
{{Main|Bovine somatotropin}}

Monsanto developed and sold [[Recombinant DNA|recombinant]] [[bovine somatotropin]] (also known as [[Bovine somatotropin|rBST]] and [[rBGH]]), a synthetic [[hormone]] that increases milk production by 11–16% when injected into cows.<ref>{{Cite journal 
| last1 = Dohoo | first1 = I. R. 
| last2 = Leslie | first2 = K. 
| last3 = Descôteaux | first3 = L. 
| last4 = Fredeen | first4 = A. 
| last5 = Dowling | first5 = P. 
| last6 = Preston | first6 = A. 
| last7 = Shewfelt | first7 = W. 
| title = A meta-analysis review of the effects of recombinant bovine somatotropin. 1. Methodology and effects on production 
| journal = Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 
| volume = 67 
| issue = 4 
| pages = 241–251 
| year = 2003 
| pmid = 14620860 
| pmc = 280708
}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal 
| last1 = Dohoo | first1 = I. R. 
| last2 = Descôteaux | first2 = L. 
| last3 = Leslie | first3 = K. 
| last4 = Fredeen | first4 = A. 
| last5 = Shewfelt | first5 = W. 
| last6 = Preston | first6 = A. 
| last7 = Dowling | first7 = P. 
| title = A meta-analysis review of the effects of recombinant bovine somatotropin. 2. Effects on animal health, reproductive performance, and culling 
| journal = Canadian Journal of Veterinary Research 
| volume = 67 
| issue = 4 
| pages = 252–264 
| year = 2003 
| pmid = 14620861 
| pmc = 280709
}}</ref> In October 2008, Monsanto sold this business to [[Eli Lilly and Company|Eli Lilly]] for $300 million plus additional considerations.<ref name="urlEli Lilly to Buy Monsanto's Dairy Cow Hormone for $300 million - DealBook Blog - NYTimes.com">{{Cite news|url=http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/20/eli-lilly-to-buy-monsantos-dairy-cow-hormone-for-300-million/ |title=Eli Lilly to Buy Monsanto's Dairy Cow Hormone for $300 million – DealBook Blog |work=The New York Times| date=August 20, 2008}}</ref>

The use of rBST remains controversial with respect to its effects on cows and their milk.<ref name=Dobs>Dobson, William D. (June 1996) [http://www.aae.wisc.edu/pubs/sps/pdf/stpap397.pdf The BST Case] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921122744/https://aae.wisc.edu/pubs/sps/pdf/stpap397.pdf/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060209122114/http://www.aae.wisc.edu/pubs/sps/pdf/stpap397.pdf |archive-date=2006-02-09 |url-status=live |date=September 21, 2020 }}. University of Wisconsin-Madison Agricultural and Applied Economics Staff Paper Series No. 397</ref>

In some markets, milk from cows that are not treated with rBST is sold with labels indicating that it is rBST-free: this milk has proved popular with consumers.<ref name = "nytimes milk label">[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/business/09feed.html Fighting on a Battlefield the Size of a Milk Label], ''[[The New York Times]]'', March 9, 2008</ref> In reaction to this, in early 2008 a pro-rBST advocacy group called "American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology" (AFACT),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://itisafact.org/ |title=AFACT: American Farmers for the Advancement and Conservation of Technology |publisher=Itisafact.org }}</ref> made up of dairies and originally affiliated with Monsanto, formed and began lobbying to ban such labels. AFACT stated that "absence" labels can be misleading and imply that milk from cows treated with rBST is inferior.<ref name = "nytimes milk label" />

===Uncommercialized products===
Monsanto also developed notable technologies that were not ultimately commercialized.

===="Terminator" seeds====
{{main|Genetic use restriction technology}}

Genetic use restriction technology, colloquially known as "terminator technology", produces plants with sterile seeds. This trait would prevent the spread of those seeds into the wild. It also would prevent farmers from planting seeds they harvest, requiring them to purchase seed for every planting, allowing the company to enforce its licensing terms via technology. Farmers have been buying [[hybrid seed]]s for generations, instead of replanting their harvest, because second-generation hybrid seeds are inferior. Nevertheless, most seed companies contract only with farmers who agree not to plant harvested seeds.

Terminator technology has been developed by governmental labs, university researchers and companies.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ngin.tripod.com/353.htm |title=RAFI on new Terminator patent |publisher=Ngin.tripod.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=gm-104#gm-104 |title=Context of 'July 20, 1999: USDA and Delta & Pine Land Secure New Patent for Improvements in Terminator Genetic Seed Sterilization Technology' |publisher=Historycommons.org |access-date=July 24, 2012 |archive-date=February 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205064112/http://www.historycommons.org/context.jsp?item=gm-104#gm-104  }}</ref><ref name="Warwick Terminator">{{cite journal |first=Hugh |last=Warwick |editor-last=Wijeratna |editor-first=Alex |editor2-last=Meienberg |editor2-first=François |editor3-last= Meienberg |title = Syngenta – Switching off farmers' rights? |publisher=Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations |date=October 2000 |url = http://www.fao.org/righttofood/KC/downloads/vl/docs/AH428.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110512172032/http://www.fao.org/righttofood/KC/downloads/vl/docs/AH428.pdf |archive-date=May 12, 2011}}</ref> The technology has not been used commercially.<ref name="monsanto pledge">{{cite web |url=http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/terminator-seeds.aspx |title=Monsanto ~ Is Monsanto Going to Develop or Sell "Terminator" Seeds? |publisher=Monsanto.com |date=November 3, 2008 |access-date=July 24, 2012 |archive-date=June 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120605020705/http://www.monsanto.com/newsviews/Pages/terminator-seeds.aspx  }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.banterminator.org/The-Issues/Introduction |title=Introduction / The Issues / |publisher=Ban Terminator |date=June 1, 2007 |access-date=August 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120709023839/http://www.banterminator.org/The-Issues/Introduction |archive-date=July 9, 2012  }}</ref> Rumors that Monsanto and other companies intended to introduce terminator technology caused protests, for example in India.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/465969.stm |work=BBC News |title=Farmers welcome halt of 'terminator' |date=October 5, 1999}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.columbia.edu/~sr793/doc/RHerring.pdf |title=CAS 38-4 24 Oct 2006.vp  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130531024738/http://www.columbia.edu/~sr793/doc/RHerring.pdf |archive-date=May 31, 2013}}</ref>

In 1999, Monsanto pledged not to commercialize terminator technology.<ref name="monsanto pledge" /><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/1999/oct/06/gm.food2 |title=World braced for terminator 2 |last=Vidal |first=John |date=October 5, 1999 |newspaper=The Guardian |location=London}}</ref> The [[Delta & Pine Land Company of Mississippi]] intended to commercialize the technology,<ref name="Warwick Terminator" /> but D&PL was acquired by Monsanto in 2007.<ref>[http://www.monsanto.com/whoweare/pages/monsanto-history.aspx "Monsanto Company History"] monsanto.com</ref>

Monsanto "Terminator seeds" were never commercialized nor used in any farmer's field anywhere in the world. The patent expired in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Mangan|first=Mary|date=2021-02-12|title='Terminator seeds'—the anti-GMO bogeyman that never existed|url=https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2021/02/12/viewpoint-farewell-to-terminator-seeds-1995-2015-the-anti-gmo-movements-favorite-bogeyman/|access-date=2021-07-16|website=Genetic Literacy Project}}</ref>

==== GM wheat ====
{{main|Genetically modified wheat}}
Monsanto developed several strains of genetically modified wheat, including glyphosate-resistant strains, in the 1990s. Field tests were done in the United States between 1998 and 2005.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2013/05/29/unapproved-monsanto-gmo-wheat-found-in-oregon.html |agency=Reuters |title=Unapproved Monsanto GMO Wheat Found in Oregon |publisher=[[CNBC]] |date=2013-05-29 |access-date=September 20, 2018}}</ref> As of 2017, no genetically modified wheat had been released for commercial use.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Regalado |first1=Antonio |title=These are not your father's GMOs |url=https://www.technologyreview.com/s/609230/these-are-not-your-fathers-gmos/ |website=MIT Technology Review |access-date=September 20, 2018}}</ref>