The United States Supreme Court has ruled in favour of
Monsanto and against the organic movement in Canada and the United States on a
lawsuit the organic growers started in 2011 in New York State.
The organic growers sought protection against patent
infringement lawsuits Monsanto might file against them.
The company argued that organic growers don’t use Roundup,
therefore Monsanto doesn’t really care if they have some Roundup-Ready plants
growing in their fields.
The company also said it has a policy of not bothering with
farmers and fields where less than one per cent of the plants are growing from
Monsanto-patented seed.
The organic growers are apparently more interested in
curbing Monsanto’s powerful position in plant breeding and seed sales.
For example, one of the organic organizations involved in the
lawsuit is Food Democracy Now whose executive director, Dave Murphy, said of the
court decision that “Monsanto has effectively gotten away with stealing the
world’s seed heritage and abusing farmers for the flawed nature of their
patented seed technology.”
Canadians who took part in the Supreme Court appeal
include Canadian Organic Growers (COG) with its head office in Ottawa, the
Peace River Organic Producers Association of Silver Valley, Alta. Murray Bast
of Wellesley, Ont., Mumm’s Sprouting Seeds ofg Parkside, Sask., Quinella Ranch
near Regina, Nature’s Way Farm of Grimshaw, Alta., and Levke and Peter Eggers
Farm at La Glace, Alta.
Three other Canadian organization that were involved in
the original lawsuit did not participate in the appeal - Quebec’s Union
Paysanne, Manitoba Organic Alliance and Interlake Forage Seeds of Fisher
Branch, Man.
