Image: Sustainable Pulse

In yet another victory against the multinational corporation Monsanto in Argentina, the company has now announced that it will dismantle its multi-million dollar GMO seed plant in Malvinas.

Monsanto made the decision to give up on its seed plant after three years worth of protests from local citizens and GMO-free campaigners from all over Argentina. In 2014, activists forced to Monsanto to stop the construction of the plant by using coordinated protest techniques at the construction site.

A spokesman for Monsanto told Argentinian media organizations that Monsanto was dismantling the plant and that “the plant was designed to treat 3.5 million hectares of maize; however, last year, only 2.5 million hectares were sown.”

“An investment of almost 1500 million makes no sense.”

The spokesman was also forced to admit that the protests, local pressure, and resistance by environmentalists, anti-GMO activists and local residents was indeed part of the reason the company decided to dismantle the plant. In addition, a number of lawsuits have been filed against Monsanto over the legality of the construction permit as well as environmental impacts.

Sofia Gatica, one of the main activists and leaders of the protest blockade in Malvinas told InfOGM,

It’s been almost three years that Monsanto has not been able to put a brick or a wire at the construction site…

The company is leaving the field but does not yet recognize its defeat in this battle. We talked with those who have to dismantle what remains. We remain on alert and continue blocking, waiting to see what will happen. We want the site to now be devoted to organic and sustainable agriculture.