Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Can someone please explain to me how Monsanto corp. are able to sue farmers that have planted non Monsanto seed brands that have been pollinated by a neighbors round up ready Monsanto bean, the pollen carries the gene that shows in the bean. why can't the farmer sue Monsanto for contaminating his crop?

Views: 141

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Because Monsanto has billions of dollars for lawyers and the farmer doesn't. Might makes right, don'tcha know?
maybe the following story will help........can we "monopoly"?......the farmers never had a chance.

AP IMPACT: Secret documents detail Monsanto's seed business domination amid antitrust fears

the complete article can be found at:
http://beginningfarmers.org/ap-report-secret-documents-detail-monsa...

"Monsanto’s business strategies and licensing agreements are beinginvestigated by the U.S. Department of Justice and at least two state attorneys general, who are trying to determine if the practices violate U.S. antitrust laws. The practices also are at the heart of civil antitrust suits filed against Monsanto by its competitors, including a 2004 suit filed by Syngenta AG that was settled with an agreement and ongoing litigation filed this summer by DuPont in response to a Monsanto lawsuit."....

"We now believe that Monsanto has control over as much as 90 percent of (seed genetics). This level of control is almost unbelievable," said Neil Harl, agricultural economist at Iowa State University who has studied the seed industry for decades. "The upshot of that is that it's tightening Monsanto's control, and makes it possible for them to increase their prices long term. And we've seen this happening the last five years, and the end is not in sight."
Good article in the Economist on Monsanto - relatively balanced. Here are the first couple of lines - click on the link to find the whole article... Joe

The Parable of the Sower
from the ECONOMIST Print Magazine

FEW companies excite such extreme emotions as Monsanto. To its critics, the agricultural giant is a corporate hybrid of Victor Frankenstein and Ebenezer Scrooge, using science to create foods that threaten the health of both people and the planet, and intellectual-property laws to squeeze every last penny out of the world’s poor. The list of Monsanto’s sins dates back to when (with other firms) it produced Agent Orange, a herbicide notorious for its use by American forces in Vietnam. Recently “Food Inc”, a documentary film, lambasted the company.

To its admirers, the innovations in seeds pioneered by Monsanto are the world’s best hope of tackling a looming global food crisis. Hugh Grant, the firm’s boss since 2003, says that without the sort of technological breakthroughs Monsanto has achieved the world has no chance of doubling agricultural output by 2050 while using less land and water, as many believe it must. Mr Grant, of course, would say that. But he is not alone. Bill Gates sees Monsanto’s innovations as essential to the agricultural revolution in Africa to which his charitable foundation is committed. Josette Sheeran, the head of the United Nations World Food Programme, is also a fan.


http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14904184
nobody tried it yet, that is my understanding
there is a time coming that all the roundup ready crops are weeds
look at it round up ready soya in a roundup ready whet field followed by roundup ready corn

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

MLAs clash over foreign ownership of Saskatchewan farmland

The issue of foreign ownership of farmland rose to the surface again at the Legislature. During Question Period last Thursday, the opposition NDP accused the Sask. Party government of not taking the issue seriously and failing to enforce the illegal purchase of farmland by foreign entities. “We’ve been calling on that government from the moment they’ve been elected, and they look the other way and have failed to enforce the law,” said Trent Wotherspoon, deputy agriculture shadow minister. “There’s so much more that we need to do. The Farm Land Security Board needs more resources and real teeth. The fines for breaking the law need to be more than a slap on the wrist. And most importantly, the government must audit and enforce the divestiture of land acquired and owned by foreign entities that have breached the law and caused the forfeiture of profit in its divestiture.” Wotherspoon went on to say that no ‘foreign entity, governments like China or criminal organizations’ should be abl

Federal strychnine ban review may help control gopher ‘plague’ on Sask. crops

Farmers and rural officials across Saskatchewan say Ottawa’s decision to review the strychnine ban could finally bring relief in the fight against gophers. Still, some warn that the solution needs to balance effectiveness and safety. At the Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities (SARM) midterm convention in Regina, delegates announced a resolution calling on the federal government to either reintroduce strychnine or provide a cost-effective alternative for pest control. The once-common chemical was banned by Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) in 2023, leaving producers with few reliable options. SARM President Bill Huber told delegates that the association had received a verbal commitment from Ottawa to review the use of strychnine in emergencies, with support from provincial and municipal governments. “We also asked for the reinstatement of strychnine to manage Richardson’s ground squirrels,” Huber said. “They’re not just a nuisance, they’re a plagu

Foreign ownership of farmland a hot topic at Sask. Legislature

The issue of foreign ownership of farm land rose to the surface again at the Saskatchewan Legislature. During Question Period on Thursday, NDP Leader, and Agriculture Shadow Minister, Carla Beck accused the Sask. Party government of not taking the issue seriously.  "Mr. Speaker, the (Provincial) Auditor and SARM (Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities) have both sounded the alarm when it comes to the wide gaps in the system that supposed to ensure that only Canadians can buy Saskatchewan farmland. Will the Premier finally admit what most people on coffee row already understand, and that is that his government has failed to ensure that...those foreign interests can't buy up Saskatchewan farmland." Beck asked. In response, Moe noted "increases in the stringency on ownership in this province" and ensured that "there is an ongoing discussion and a committee that is going to be engaging with (land) owners to ensure that we have this right all the time in this province."  The p

Ag in the House: Nov. 3 – 7

Conservatives targeted the industrial carbon tax and its effect on Canadian ag and food

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service