JUSTICE OR DOMINATION?
US SUPREME
COURT SIDES WITH MONSANTO, AGAINST ORGANIC FARMERS (from an article in SustainableBusiness.com (info@sustainablebusiness.com), Jan. 21, 2014)
The U.S. Supreme Court sided with Monsanto once again in issuing
its January 13 decision on the landmark lawsuit, Organic Seed
Growers and Trade Association et al v. Monsanto.
They denied organic farmers the right to argue their case in court - that if Monsanto's GMO seeds infect their crops, innocent farmers can't be sued for patent infringement.
Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals agreed that contamination is inevitable and ruled that Monsanto can't sue American farmers unless it finds more than 1% of its patented materials on a farm. Farmers took the case to the Supreme Court to get protection beyond 1% and to extend it to Canadian farmers, who can be sued if they export to the US.
They denied organic farmers the right to argue their case in court - that if Monsanto's GMO seeds infect their crops, innocent farmers can't be sued for patent infringement.
Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals agreed that contamination is inevitable and ruled that Monsanto can't sue American farmers unless it finds more than 1% of its patented materials on a farm. Farmers took the case to the Supreme Court to get protection beyond 1% and to extend it to Canadian farmers, who can be sued if they export to the US.
“This high court which gave
corporations the ability to patent life forms in 1980, and under Citizens United in 2010
gave corporations the power to buy their way to election victories, has now in
2014 denied farmers the basic right of protecting themselves from the notorious
patent bully Monsanto”, says Jim Gerritsen, an organic farmer in Maine and
President of the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association, the lead
plaintiff.
Monsanto has sued about
1000 farmers - most have settled out-of-court rather than face the
corporation's belligerent, well-financed, litigious actions.
The question is, why can't non-GMO farmers sue Monsanto for its seeds contaminating their crops?
The question is, why can't non-GMO farmers sue Monsanto for its seeds contaminating their crops?
"If organic seed is
contaminated, there is no way to grow nongenetically modified crops," says
Gerritsen. "The outcome will be either seed controlled directly by
Monsanto or contaminated by Monsanto."
Source:
SustainableBusiness.com
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