Issue and Opponent: Monsanto intended to conduct widescale planting of GMO corn in Mexico. This would have been the first time GM corn had been planted on a large commercial scale in Mexico, and many scientists were concerned about the impact.
Dilemma Action: Activists pretending to be Monsanto representatives released a hoax press release to journalists via email. The fake press release claimed that the Mexican government had authorized Monsanto to plant patented GMO corn on 440000 acres of land. The fake press release was meant to serve as a warning to the public about the potential dangers awaiting Mexican farmers and consumers if the government indeed granted Monsanto the permission they were waiting for. Outcomes: Monsanto responded by decrying the fake press release. “The action of the group is fundamentally misleading,” said Janet M. Holloway, Chief of Community Relations for Monsanto. “The initiatives they put forth are unfeasible, and their list of demands is peppered with hyperbolic buzzwords like ‘sustainability,’ ‘culture,’ and ‘biodiversity.'” Only ecologists prioritize biodiversity over real-world concerns,” said Dr. Robert T. Fraley, who oversees Monsanto’s integrated crop and seed agribusiness technology and research worldwide. It was also later revealed that Monsanto had written directly to the Mexican government condemning the hoax and continuing to lobby for approval of the project. Courts upheld a civil injunction to ban GMO corn in Mexico in 2013, and that continued to be upheld in 2021.