Brewster Kneen writes about Cargill, the largest private US business and largest agribusiness worldwide. In spite of its alleged support of “free-trade” policies Cargill owes its continued existence in large part to the US agricultural subsidies of the past 60 years. As well Cargill is an expert at lobbying and benefits from a “revolving door” strategy. It also has deep financial ties with trade associations and has developed grassroots lobbying techniques. Despite its size and reach Cargill has managed to maintain a relatively small image, especially compared to similar companies such as Monsanto, typically entering new markets with just a single project and growing from there once producers are dependent on its products. Kneen uses examples from Indonesia and Tanzania to illustrate this strategy.
Kneen gives examples of resistance to Cargill showing that despite its size the company is not all-powerful. In Japan the five trading houses (Zaibatsu) were able to temporarily block production. Even after Cargill got the US gov’t to intervene their production never took off in Japan. In India a coalition of “powerless” peasants fought against the company. Kneen points to the growing resistance of consumers against GE and overly processed food and emerging social movements which are beginning to unite together around new values and alternative systems of production.
Kneen’s article is important in laying out some of the problems and hypocrisies of a large scale neoliberal approach to agriculture. The success of large neoliberal corporations is due not because of successful capitalist approaches but continual governmental support. He ends his article on a hopeful note, however, pointing out the growing resistance to companies such as Cargill. While powerful their continued existence is not inevitable.
- Kneen, Brewster. “The Invisible GiantCargill and Its Transnational Strategies” From The Ecologist vol. 25, no. 5