There is a corporate monster in the making. If allowed to emerge, it will gain near complete control of one of the most vital elements to human survival: our global food supply. This monster – a conglomeration of two corporate entities, Monsanto and Syngenta – must be stopped for the sake of the planet and future generations.

The companies that would make up this monster conglomeration both want complete control of our food. They envision a world completely inundated with their “patented” genetically modified seeds and saturated in their environmentally destructive chemicals. They seek to put all of their critics and those deemed “in the way” in prison or leave them financially ruined. They threaten to subvert the democratic process with their “bought” legislators, who are strategically placed inside virtually every facet of the governmental apparatus. And they do all of this while wrapped in the rhetoric of superheroes, sustainability and stewardship.

Fortunately, the behemoth merger is still in its gestational period: Its constituent entities, Monsanto and Syngenta, have yet to fully “consummate” the deal. But when the conglomeration does finally emerge, it will do so with a brand new identity.

And why wouldn’t Monsanto and Syngenta want to shed those tired, old skins? Both of their “brands” are mired in criminality, environmental devastation and the exposures of their mafia-style tactics (see Syngenta’s transgressions: here, here and here).

Now, before we can even begin to discuss what needs to be done to remedy this predicament that will soon be thrust upon us, we must first take a look at how we’ve been brought to this seeming impasse.

To do so, it’s helpful to look closer at the history of Monsanto, not because Syngenta is innocent of afflicting catastrophe upon the world, but because Monsanto is the greater party in this transaction, and it is Monsanto’s crimes and modus operandi that other biotech companies hope to emulate.

Monsanto Plays Dirty

On April 17, 2015, Monsanto’s CEO Hugh Grant met with Syngenta’s chairman of the board Michel Demaré and CEO Michael Mack to discuss Monsanto’s bid to merge with Syngenta – a transaction that would create an unprecedented agro-giant and should have the antitrust alarm bells screaming; this deal would constitute the combination of the first- and third-largest biotech companies in the world.

Syngenta’s response to Monsanto, in a letter dated April 30, laid out the company’s concerns regarding the proposed deal, which – not surprisingly – never ventured outside of the monetary realm. Demaré and Mack went on to state that the deal was “grossly inadequate” and that the regulatory process would lead to significant “value destruction” of their integrated crop strategy. They also fretted about the “reputational risk” that Monsanto poses to Syngenta’s bottom line.