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5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

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Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#11
post #8

This may be naive, but why isn't the market protecting farmers? Are subsidies involved? Why don't they just use normal seeds or other seeds? Weren't these limitations known ahead of time? Why did the farmers make a deal with the devil? Why can't they switch back?

Because, for some time now, "the market" thinks there is more value in patenting agriculture and making money out of it than in helping agriculture.

And "the market" is right. In the short term :)

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#13
post #8

This may be naive, but why isn't the market protecting farmers? Are subsidies involved? Why don't they just use normal seeds or other seeds? Weren't these limitations known ahead of time? Why did the farmers make a deal with the devil? Why can't they switch back?

It seems like a hit piece. There's no reference to it in any major publication. I have no idea how this politically-charged website and article got on HN.

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#14
post #8

This may be naive, but why isn't the market protecting farmers? Are subsidies involved? Why don't they just use normal seeds or other seeds? Weren't these limitations known ahead of time? Why did the farmers make a deal with the devil? Why can't they switch back?

Why does anyone make a bad business arrangement? Farmers aren't the first entrepreneurs to misunderstand the limitations placed on them by contract, or to accept those limitations in exchange for fast liquidity.

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#15
post #8

This may be naive, but why isn't the market protecting farmers? Are subsidies involved? Why don't they just use normal seeds or other seeds? Weren't these limitations known ahead of time? Why did the farmers make a deal with the devil? Why can't they switch back?

It's my understanding Monsanto isn't a company that relies on free markets. They use lawyers heavily. If their seeds blow from a customer's farm to a non customer's farm and the non customer doesn't actively try to remove the Monsanto seeds, they sue. They are like the seed mafia.

And do they win such claims? Seems to me the farmer whose field was polluted should be able sue for damages instead?

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#16
post #8

This may be naive, but why isn't the market protecting farmers? Are subsidies involved? Why don't they just use normal seeds or other seeds? Weren't these limitations known ahead of time? Why did the farmers make a deal with the devil? Why can't they switch back?

It's my understanding Monsanto isn't a company that relies on free markets. They use lawyers heavily. If their seeds blow from a customer's farm to a non customer's farm and the non customer doesn't actively try to remove the Monsanto seeds, they sue. They are like the seed mafia.

"If their seeds blow from a customer's farm to a non customer's farm and the non customer doesn't actively try to remove the Monsanto seeds, they sue"

Got a source for that claim?

There's an article on huffington post which conflicts with the claim: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/28/monsanto-lawsuit-or...

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#18
post #13
post #8

This may be naive, but why isn't the market protecting farmers? Are subsidies involved? Why don't they just use normal seeds or other seeds? Weren't these limitations known ahead of time? Why did the farmers make a deal with the devil? Why can't they switch back?

It seems like a hit piece. There's no reference to it in any major publication. I have no idea how this politically-charged website and article got on HN.

Because not enough people have flagged it.

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#19
post #8

This may be naive, but why isn't the market protecting farmers? Are subsidies involved? Why don't they just use normal seeds or other seeds? Weren't these limitations known ahead of time? Why did the farmers make a deal with the devil? Why can't they switch back?

Because, for some time now, "the market" thinks there is more value in patenting agriculture and making money out of it than in helping agriculture. And "the market" is right. In the short term :)

If GM seeds are so horrible for farming business, our cost of living should skyrocket. Farms which don't use GM seeds should benefit. Plus, the farmers should simply pass the price hike to consumers.

The only way this makes sense to me is either GM seeds are subsidized, or a significant % of farms switched all at once.

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#20
post #8

This may be naive, but why isn't the market protecting farmers? Are subsidies involved? Why don't they just use normal seeds or other seeds? Weren't these limitations known ahead of time? Why did the farmers make a deal with the devil? Why can't they switch back?

Technically, at the start of all this crap, if the property rights of the farmers were respected (your crud got in my field, pay up) then this whole chain of events would have gone quite differently.
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