Monsanto Planting Evil

First, this thread has to do with the case of Percy Schmeiser VS Monsanto.

If this is news to you, I suggest your view Mr. Schemiser's website first.
www.percyschmeiser.com...

Over the recent weeks, this issue has again been popping up in the local agriculture newspaper. I scanned the items.

First, the Percy Schmeiser writing:


Now, in the most recent edition of the same paper, Monsanto has retaliated.


I hunted down the documents in question:
Here is the text version:
www.lexum.umontreal.ca...
Here is the HTML version:
www.lexum.umontreal.ca...

The point in question about how the seed came to show up on the field is here:

66 The remaining question was how such a pure concentration of Roundup Ready Canola came to grow on the appellants' land in 1998. The trial judge rejected the suggestion that it was the product of seed blown or inadvertently carried onto the appellants' land (at para. 118):

It may be that some Roundup Ready seed was carried to Mr. Schmeiser's field without his knowledge. Some such seed might have survived the winter to germinate in the spring of 1998. However, I am persuaded by evidence of Dr. Keith Downey . . . that none of the suggested sources could reasonably explain the concentration or extent of Roundup Ready canola of a commercial quality evident from the results of tests on Schmeiser's crop.

67 He concluded, at para. 120:

I find that in 1998 Mr. Schmeiser planted canola seed saved from his 1997 crop in his field number 2 which he knew or ought to have known was Roundup tolerant, and that seed was the primary source for seeding and for the defendants' crops in all nine fields of canola in 1998.

68 In summary, it is clear on the findings of the trial judge that the appellants saved, planted, harvested and sold the crop from plants containing the gene and plant cell patented by Monsanto. The issue is whether this conduct amounted to "use" of Monsanto's invention -- the glyphosate-resistant gene and cell.

This part is pure gold.

It may be that some Roundup Ready seed was carried to Mr. Schmeiser's field without his knowledge.

This is the whole point of the fight !

But if they do not believe his thoughts on how it got there, its ok? What?

So now, if you read the first Percy Schmeiser article I posted, you would know that he has found more plants growing. More plants.

50 acres of seed growth on a field that has not seen the crop since 1999. Explain that to me.

And they want him to sign a release that says he cannot take them to court when they clean up the unwanted crop ! WHAT !

So the question, the burning question: How are these plants getting in the field?

Its a complicated one, and yes still, Percy could be to blame.

Nobody seems to realize the extent Monsanto will go. Need a little tip? Heres a shocker. This whole article makes me sick.

Source

If they can’t find a farmer at home- I should say before I go into that- I’ve had many, many farm wives phone me crying on the phone saying, “Monsanto’s police have been here; they’ve threatened us, we won’t have a farm left. What do we do?” I’ve tried to advise them where they can get legal help. Another item- if they can’t find a farmer at home, they send a farmer, if they have his mailing address, what farmers call extortion letters. We don’t know how many thousands of these have been sent to farmers, but I have many of them that have been turned over to me. It states briefly, “We have reason to believe (this is by Monsanto) that you might be growing some of Monsanto’s GMO canola or soybeans without a license. We estimate you have 200 acres, 100 acres, 500 acres, whatever the case may be, send us $200,000, $100,000 (I have one here for $171,000) by a certain date by certified check and we may or may not take you to court.” Can you imagine the fear in a farm family when they get a letter from a multi-billion dollar corporation – send us $100,000 by a certain date because we think you might be growing it. Every farmer that testified on my behalf at my trial – rest assured, they got a letter from Monsanto. Intimidation and harassment.

If that is not weird enough for you, lets carry on.

If they can’t find a farmer at home, they don’t know his mailing address, but they can go to the local municipality and get his land description, they’ll use an airplane or helicopter. They’ll fly over the center of a farmer’s field where there’s canola or soybeans and they’ll drop a Monsanto herbicide spray bomb, normally in the center of the field. It’ll cover about 30 feet across. Then they’ll fly back after 10 or 12 days to see after the chemical has time to activate. If the farmer’s crop has died after being hit with this herbicide Roundup spray bomb, they know the farmer wasn’t using Monsanto’s GMO canola. If it hasn’t died, they know the farmer was using Monsanto’s GMO canola or soybeans. Those are the methods that are being used to put fear into farmers and to check on farmers.

That entire article is a real eye opener... I advise you all that are reading this, to take the time and read the article.

I leave you with this question. Who do you think is planting the canola?

A 74 year old man who is using his retirement money and mortgaging his land to pay his legal bills, or a multi billion dollar corporation that dumps chemical on your land from a helicopter.



[edit on 25-11-2005 by Dulcimer]

Very interesting. Herbicide-bomb dropping helicopters, multi-billion dollar corporations and a farming family. It's good the Schmeiser's brought this out into the open, as it seems like it has been going on for quite a while.

"In order to protect its investment, Monsanto has been vigilant in rooting out frugal farmers who might be cheating and saving seed, or borrowing a bit of seed from neighbours."

Vigilant, as in wrecking honest farmers crops; and watching for 'frugal' farmers, the ones that have had their crops contaminated against their will.
It almost seems like Monsanto does this to annex this private property, or to get hundred thousand dollar sums of money.

---But why would he want to do this? ---

A very large corporation, that doesn't need a petty 100 grand, or another 1, 000 acres.
And yes, the question of how the seed got there deserves a bit of interest.

Percy Schmeiser himself states that birds, wind and uncovered trucks probably spread the GM canola seed, but that doesn't make sense to me. How could that, which would undoubtedly be a small amount, contaminate those huge areas, and manage to stockpile itself in multiple ditches?

I will agree that the way he describes how the seed accidentally came to be is quite sketchy.

Now, you have to keep in mind that is basically his explanation for how he thinks it could have gotten there logically.

But what if someone is planting it, someone other than himself?

Either way, its strange that the plants would be coming back now. Farmers cannot afford this crap.

I heard an interesting factoid today. 70 percent of farm family income comes from sources off the farm. Pretty sad when you have to work that much to make a living off the farm, which is also a full time job for alot of folks.

Monsanto is tricky. Mentioned in the article I posted, they would give leather jackets to those who tell on their neighbours for violating seed patents.

They no longer do it.

This Monsanto character doesn't sound like a nice guy at all, and I've only read, what, 2-3 articles?