Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: Monsanto vs Schmeiser

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Mike Tidman <mtidman AT netins.net>
  • To: <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Monsanto vs Schmeiser
  • Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 09:44:27 -0500

Title: Re: Monsanto vs Schmeiser
I am thinking this through and I can¹t help wondering if everyone misunderstands how Percy¹s case is important to the GM seed industry. Think from their perspective.

Here¹s why: if you grow organic (or some other identity-preserved variety) corn and GM contamination shows up in your product (a result of across the fence pollination) any GM company that allowed (in court!) even the remotest possibility of cross-pollination becomes suddenly extremely liable in a contamination lawsuit.

Can a GM seed company ever allow a court precedent that says (or implies by omission) that GM crops are capable of pollinating across a fence row? I don¹t think so. Imagine the liability for massive crop contamination across every farming region on six continents.

Honestly, I think Percy is small potatoes (although I don't deny that enforcing a patent is also an important business activity). A thousand acres of ripped-off RR canola seed was planted in Canada? Who cares. Send a salesman out to cajole the sucker.

On the other hand, potential contamination liability everywhere GM seed is planted?
--  Now  -- you  -- have -- their -- attention. --

Besides, Percy is no hero of mine. Seems as though he was farting around with ideas on how to use Roundup Ready technology without paying for it, and got hung when he got smart about it. As an organic farmer, I don't look for my allies among users of RR technology.

We all might be rooting for the wrong side. Any merit to any of this?

Mike

------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Del,
> Logically, unless Monsanto can prove that farmers control
> pollination vectors (wind and insects) how can they be held
> responsible for transfer of genetic characteristics?
> Alex McGregor
> Walden Farm



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page