Peasants occupy Monsanto facility complex in the city of Petrolina
Last Tuesday morning (10/15), 5000 peasants, members of the MPA (The Small Farmers Movement), occupied Monsanto’s 36th Research Unit located at the Nilo Coelho irrigation district in Petrolina, in the northeast of Brazil.
The occupation happened as a way to bring attention to the social and ecological impacts caused by the company’s activities, especially in regards to the production of genetically modified seeds and pesticides – causing irreversible damages to the environment and to people’s health all over the planet.
“The occupation is a way to oppose the expansion of agribusiness in the Northeast and to denounce Monsanto’s operations, since the company has, historically, privatized natural resources and controlled the global agri-food market, and, as a result, threatened the livelihoods of peasants and all of humanity” affirms Leomárcio Araújo, member of the MPA mobilizing task force.
The action was a part of the National Campaign of Struggle for Food Sovereignty, which happened between Monday the 14th and Friday, the 18th of October.