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market-farming - Re: Bt Sweet Corn

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: Alex McGregor <waldenfarm AT sprintmail.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Bt Sweet Corn
  • Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 09:36:44 -0400


Del,

Right to the point. The one who does something that adversely affects another
is responsible. We have many precedents for this in our criminal and civil
law
and in cases involving animals.

In the old days, before hybrids, farmers in an area that grew the same crop
and
saved seed would enter into agreements to all grow the same variety in an
attempt to avoid cross pollination. (Sidebar: open pollinated varieties bring
growers together, hybrids and GMOs drive them apart.)

What we have now is the corporations attempting to presage what will be
litigated and getting laws passed (OK, buying laws) to cover their bums. So
now
there are laws on the books which logically contradict precedent. (It will be
interesting to watch how lawyers and judges try to sort this out.)

And Bob had a good point- lawsuits only enrich lawyers and, I don't know about
other farmers, but I'm a bit strapped for cash to invest in a suit that will
probably go to the Supreme Court. And I'm not too confident that farmers
would
get a fair shake from a court appointed by Raegan, Bush & Dubya.

So who does have the time, money and interest to remove this plague? The
consumers! That's how it's worked in other parts of the world. What's wrong
with all those people who answer surveys and say they want their food to be
GMO
free and grown without chemicals? Why aren't they in the streets over this
like
they are in Europe? Maybe we have a population that has been lulled into
being
passive and accepting everything that comes along, as long as they can
maintain
their "lifestyle."

My own opinion is that most Americans are slaves to corporations. They're so
far in debt with mortgages, new car payments, and credit card debt from
conspicuous consumption that they take all they bow to the wishes of their
corporate bosses for fear of losing their job and having their credit pyramid
tumble. But that's another story.

Alex McGregor
Walden Farm

Del Williams wrote:

> Planting a row of trees will not stop pollen drift.
>
> Good neighbors don't plant crops or adopt practices that contaminate their

> neighbors' crops. Nor do they adopt farming practices that destroy other
> farmers' production. Lawsuits are the only way some farmers will be able to
> protect their livelihoods.





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