Damned if they do and damned if they don’t it seems. When Monsanto originally devloped its ‘Roundup ready’ crops there was an outcry from various environmentalists and others, including Berry and Logsdon that these crops would escape into the wilderness and mutate into triffids or something. A fair enough criticism to some degree. In response to these criticisms Monsanto “devoted millions to its “Terminator Technology” that insures offspring of proprietary hybrids will be infertile”. As you not, this has ‘No positive effect in the field’. As a result there was an outcry from various environmentalists and others, including Berry and Logsdon that these crops would prevent small farmers from propagating their own crops. As a result Monsanto decided not to utilise the terminator gene and AFAIK it is not currently sued in any of Monsanto’s products.
This is the problem with attempting to be rational and conciliatory in dealings with people with an emotional objection to an issue. They cannot win. Monsanto was criticised for attempting to prevent a potential problem by exactly the same people who criticised them for the problem.
Not even close. Roundup is moderately effective on most herbaceous plants and next to useless on most woody plants. Many herbaceous plants are naturally resistant, which is where the resistance genes came form to begin with. Monsanto didn’t cook them up holus bolus in a petri dish.