Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/06/05/roundup-ready.html
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I assume we’re talking about the US Bayer? They were separated from the German Bayer, I think, during the First World War.
Ford on the other hand…
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German chemicals and pharmaceuticals giant Bayer will discard the name Monsanto when it takes over the controversial US seeds and pesticides producer this week, the group said on Monday.
Nope, definitely ze Germans.
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Oh, sweet, sweet H…
They were, then Bayer bought (at least part of) the remnants back:
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I guess the question is whether the trademark seized from Bayer Gmbh during WWI as “enemy property” covers seeds as well as pharmaceuticals. My guess would be that it doesn’t.
I doubt that the current leadership of the Bayer company has much to do with those who controlled it during the late 1930s; Bayer in 2018 has as much association with the Nazis as, say, Hugo Boss (who designed & produced the SS uniforms) or Volkswagen (who collaborated on the design of the Beetle with Adolf Hitler to provide a car for Nazi Party members). These days “Bayer” means health, wellness, and aspirin. Whereas Monsanto has been pretty much universally loathed for decades.
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Perhaps by sticking with the Bayer name they are planning ahead for the eventual return to the good old days? MAGA, yall.
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Like a tidal wave of shit flowing down hill at every human on Earth.
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I dislike Monsanto’s attempts at exclusivity with their seed use, but their technical developments to create crops that feed more people with less and better nutrition are a good thing. Not saying there aren’t aspects of the company that isn’t bullshit, nor that there aren’t specific issues they should address. But a lot of it comes from the irrational GMO hate and skimming through your article, it even acknowledge a lot of the hate is unfounded. YMMV.
I agree with your assessment of Bayer.
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'Tis but thy brand that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Monsanto
What’s Monsanto? It is nor Sales, nor R&D,
Nor HR, nor PR, nor any other part
Belonging to a corporate person. O, be some other brand!
What’s in a brand? That which we call row crops
By any other word would sell as sweet;
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Very true, and I very much agree that they’ve done work to research food technology that’s made huge strides, and that “GMO” has become a bizarre straw man. I meant more that the name Monsanto has become pretty much hated across the board; it’s very bizarre seeing old Disney footage in which Monsanto was a symbol of health and forward-thinking science rather than pesticides and corporate greed.
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Indeed, it’s stamped all over those tablets. If the name “Bayer” was as toxic as this blurb suggests, there would be shrieks of indignation from pharmacies everywhere about Nazi medicine. Or rather, even more shrieks.
Of course, if common sense came to the fore, people would be buying generic-brand ASA simply because it is just as effective as Bayer’s brand and without the extra markup.
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And bee-killing neonicotinoids?
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Only partially true. Bayer AG lost the rights to market their products, including aspirin (which they invented in the 1860’s) under the Bayer logo which was confiscated by the US government. The logo ended up in Sterling Winthrop which made Bayer Aspirin in the US for years since. “Under the leadership of Dr. Manfred Schneider, Bayer acquired the North American self-medication business of Sterling Winthrop in 1994 – a milestone in the company’s history, as the acquisition also allowed the company to regain the rights to the “Bayer” company name in the United States. For the first time in 75 years, Bayer could operate in the United States under its own name and with the Bayer Cross as its corporate logo. In 1995 U.S.-based Miles Inc. was renamed Bayer Corporation”. The rights to the logo were acquired for a mere $2,000,000 and Bayer USA was born…
Anyone want to guess the odds we’ll still be hearing Monsanto name- checked in conspiracy theories for years to come?
We shouldn’t kill bees but OTOH it’s just as well to remember that many plants, in particular many agriculturally important plants including most cereals, are not actually pollinated by bees.
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