- ホーム
- > 洋書
- > 英文書
- > Business / Economics
Full Description
The book looks at the history and contemporary position of Cargill Inc. and relates how it has become the largest transnational agri-commodity trader in the world over the years. It surveys some of the agricultural-food products Cargill trades in, including soya, cocoa, palm oil, meat and dairy products. In particular the book analytically examines, whether the company engages in environmentally or ecologically good practice. The discussion of Cargill's producing and trading food globally is framed within a set of ecocritical principles. The book focuses on what Cargill says they do and it investigates the manner in which they say they are doing things. It discusses how the company, Cargill, is keen to present itself as a sustainable corporation. The story it presents to the world maintains that it protects animal welfare, the environment and people, among other things, in all its operations. The language it employs on its corporate websites is subjected to close analysis. The book describes how from an ecological and economic perspective Cargill has enveloped the global food production system with its network of offices and facilities. Along the way, its various activities are held to have contributed immensely to the ecological and environmental degradation of the physical world. Industrial agriculture and the food industry are seen by some observers almost as big a driver of climate change as fossil fuels.
Contents
1 Situating Cargill in the wider world 1 The four ABCD transnational agri-commodity traders 1 The ABCDs compared 3 Dominance of ABCD companies in the bulk commodities sector and elsewhere 5 The disproportionate control of the food system 9 The financialization of agriculture 11 Ecological costs of financialization 14 From food security to food sovereignty? 15 The effects of corporatized agribusiness on the Global South 19 2 Continuity and Cargill 24 The origin of Cargill 24 Cargill post-World War I 25 Cargill World War II and after 28 Cargill-MacMillan family ownership 31 The wealth of Cargill and the family owners today 35 i v 3 Cargill's response to COVID-19 37 Cargill tried to dodge responsibility for this health crisis 38 Reports from meat processing plants 40 US House of Representatives Select Subcommittee's Report on the Coronavirus Crisis 43 The report underlined the oligopolistic role being operated by a handful of corporations 44 4 Cargill, climate change and sustainability 48 Cargill's response to climate change 49 The notion of sustainability 55 Cargill's view of sustainability 59 An analysis of 'sustainability' on Cargill's websites 64 Co-texts of sustainable 66 Issues surrounding further Cargill operations 72 Cargill's false solutions for the climate crisis 82 5 Trade unions and Cargill 85 Trade union activity against Cargill in Argentina and Brazil 85 One case from Australia 90 Canada 91 A longstanding dispute in France 93 Disputes against Cargill in the Netherlands 97 A long enduring dispute in Turkey 99 Several disputes in the USA 103 v 6 Cargill and Cocoa 111 Cocoa operations 111 Cocoa production and deforestation 113 A historical overview of the use of child labour 117 Traceability 120 7 Cargill and politics and governments 123 The revolving door technique 123 Lobbying 127 Indirect lobbying 129 Subsidies 131 8 How 'woke' a corporation is Cargill? 136 The Coming of Woke Capitalism 136 Cargill's individual take on woke issues 140 Philanthropy and Cargill 148 Cargill's discourse and language 157 9 The problem with soy 162 Deforestation result of soy production in Amazonia 162 Cargill's role in deforestation 164 Food sold in supermarkets and fast-food outlets linked to soy trading 166 Big meat and dairy companies like Cargill as drivers of climate change 173 Notes 177 References 178 Index 191 About the Author 197
