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The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) today issued this statement in response to today’s verdict in the case of Dewayne Johnson vs. Monsanto Co., awarding $289.2 million in damages to plaintiff Dwayne Johnson, a former school groundskeeper who, after being required to spray Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide, is terminally ill with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

“This verdict proves that when ordinary citizens, in this case a jury of 12, hear the facts about Monsanto’s products, and the lengths to which this company has gone to buy off scientists, deceive the public and influence government regulatory agencies, there is no confusion,” said Ronnie Cummins, OCA’s international director. “This is a company that has always put profits ahead of public safety, and today, Monsanto has finally been held accountable.

“We hope that this is just the first of many defeats for Monsanto, and that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will pull this product off the market immediately. In the meantime, OCA looks forward to the next steps in our own lawsuit against Monsanto, for misleading consumers about the safety of Roundup for humans and pets.”

Jurors will begin deliberations today in the case of Dewayne Johnson vs. Monsanto Co. following a heated showdown of closing arguments from attorneys on both sides. The deliberations are expected to last one to two days.

The plaintiff, Dewayne Johnson, a 46-year-old former groundskeeper who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma four years ago, claims Monsanto hid evidence that the active ingredient in its Roundup herbicide, glyphosate, caused his cancer. The case is the first of hundreds of similar lawsuits to go to trial, under a California law that expedites legal cases filed by terminally ill plaintiffs.https://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto-roundup-cancer-trial

The Organic Trade Association (OTA) says it’s dedicated to promoting and protecting organics. But the organization, dubbed the Organic “Traitors” Association after it betrayed the consumer-led GMO labeling movement, is moving farther away from its organic roots—and closer to corporate control.

How do we know? The OTA recently admitted two new members: chemical giant BASF, a dicamba manufacturer and leader in genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and Cargill, one of the largest factory farm meat corporations in the world, and a big supporter of GMO crops.

The OTA states that its goal is to work in conjunction with organic businesses “to encourage and protect organic farming practices, and to share messages about the positive environmental and nutritional attributes of organic products with consumers, the media and policymakers.”

So, why is OTA partnering with BASF and Cargill?

OTA’s cozy new partnership with corporate entities like BASF and Cargill—two of the worst offenders of human and environmental health—is the latest in an ongoing (and deliberate) attack on the integrity of organics.

TAKE ACTION: Tell the Organic Trade Association: Cargill and BASF don't belong!

Would you like your local government to ban Monsanto’s carcinogenic Roundup herbicide?

Your local government has had that power since 1991, when the Supreme Court ruled that the Federal law regulating the manufacture, sale and use of pesticides permitted local governments to impose more stringent regulations of their own.

Ever since, Monsanto has been pressuring Congress to strip local governments of that right.

Monsanto wants Congress to strip your community of the right to ban toxic pesticides.

Only Alaska, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Utah and Vermont still let local governments regulate pesticides. But that’s seven states too many for Monsanto. Plus, the Biotech Bully is worried that number could grow if more states were to pass laws restoring local control over pesticides.

That’s why getting Congress to include Monsanto’s toxic trick in the Farm Bill is so important to Monsanto.

We have to fight back!

Contact your Congress members. Let them know that legislation that takes away local rights to regulate pesticides is undemocratic and dangerous!

TAKE ACTION: Tell your U.S. Senators and Representative to get Monsanto’s toxic tricks out of the Farm Bill. Protect local rights to ban dangerous pesticides!

If you think meat labeled “Product of U.S.A.” should come from cattle actually raised in the U.S.—not imported from other countries—you’re not alone.

The American Grassfed Association (AGA) and the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM) have submitted a petition to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) asking that the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Services Agency change its labeling policy so that imported beef can no longer be labeled “Product of U.S.A.” just because the meat passed through a U.S.-based inspection plant, or was blended with meat from cattle actually born and raised in the U.S.

TAKE ACTION BY MIDNIGHT AUGUST 17: Sign the petition to help U.S. grassfed meat producers stop foreign meat from being labeled “Product of U.S.A.”