There has been an interesting development in the continuing saga of small growers and the chemical giant, Monsanto.
Please read this carefully, because it has to be fully understood to be believed:
Monsanto has been suing farmers in the United States and Canada for allegedly violating its patents, when Monsanto’s seeds have accidentally ended up in neighboring farmers’ fields. Now as gardeners, we all know how easily seeds can be transported – by the wind, water, birds or humans. So the seeds end up next door in another farmer’s crop field, and the next thing he knows, the farmer’s defending himself against a patent violation lawsuit.
This whole thing sounds pretty crazy, right? But it’s true
Monsanto’s army of predatory lawyers has been able to convince the courts that this actually constitutes a violation of its patent protection, and the company has already successfully prosecuted over 147 farmers and 39 small businesses. To read about one of those cases, click here.
Canadian farmer, Percy Schmeiser, was sued by Monsanto
Now, the growers are fighting back. On March 29th, 60 of them launched a lawsuit against the company, claiming that Monsanto’s genetically engineered crops could destroy their businesses. The suit, filed by the Public Patent Foundation advocacy group, attempts to protect the growers from legal action should their fields become contaminated by cross-pollination with Monsanto’s GM seeds.
I am shaking my head in disbelief that the growers have to do this in order to protect themselves, but apparently they do.
To read more about this story, click here.
If you’d like to find out more about a group fighting Monsanto, click here.
Digging RI 
Yayyyyyyyyy for the growers for fighting back.
Let’s tell Monsanto to sue the birds! If birds and wind are scattering the seeds (and I’m sure that’s the case), wouldn’t that be “an act of God”?
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And if the seeds are genetically engineered, are they hybrids? If so the seedlings showing up in growers’ fields won’t be true to type anyway.
What a joke! Good reason to boycott anything with the Monsanto label.
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Right on!
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I can’t believe this.
You know there’s a new hallway in the National Museum of American History about engineering (I think) and the Monsanto company was portrayed as saint. Totally brilliant saints.
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That’s I felt when I first heard about this. So unfair and just plain wrong.
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I have been tracking Monsanto for several years. When I was a kid going to high school, I worked for several local farmers. When spring seeding time came, they all blew the dust off their wind mills (No, not those. These are used to clean the seeds they intend to sow.) Nowadays, farmers hire commercial seed cleaners who truck their wind mills from farm to farm. This is another way GMOs get transported between farms.
Here in Canada, we have a prime minister who believes in Monsanto and so does the lying candiadate for Wellington-Halton Hills. When asked the question at an All Candidates Meeting before the election, “What is your Party’s stance on preventing the likes of Monsanto from doing its satanic business in Canada?” PC candidate chong gave a lengthy speach on how Monsanto was feeding the world, that GMOs were good for people AND the soil they are grown in. Suggestion: google “illnesses caused by GMOs” and “Benefits to the soil GMOs are grown in”.
There is no question that the usa is a world super power, but there is a higher power: The Power of the People!
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Actually, Don, I am well acquainted with Harper – and his recent re-election. I am originally from Canada and my family is still living there.
Monsanto sure knows how to throw its weight – and its money – around…
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