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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

#41

Post by skosuri »

Spooky23 wrote: post #33
latch wrote: 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 a complicated issue. Since the government started de-regulating many agricultural practices and allowing for the patenting of organisms, argribusiness intensely lobbies Congress to the point that they control agricultural policy. http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-4048288.html Basically, the genetics of modified crops are patented. So if the wind carries corn pollen from your neighbor's farm to your organic c…

Can you point to a case where some random pollen got into a neighbor's farm and they got sued. Please read the Schmeiser case before linking to it. It's pretty simple. Monsanto in the past would be tipped off when farmers would buy a lot of roundup without buying roundup ready seeds. It's usually a big tip off that you are using saved seeds, which is explicitly against both the agreements farmers sign, and patent law.

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#42

Post by sp332 »

yock wrote: post #14
latch wrote: 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.

Monsanto has genetically-modified (and patented) crops that produce 2x or more per acre of land. Sometimes they're the only way to make land profitable.

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#43

Post by va_coder »

stevoski wrote: post #16
va_coder wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Google is your friend. Here's one of many:

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-4048288.html

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#44

Post by route66 »

latch wrote: post #19
johnchristopher wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Or your "should" statements are too simplistic?

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#46

Post by maxerickson »

sp332 wrote: post #36
maxerickson wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The lawsuit is in Brazil. The claims about people killing themselves are from India. So U.S. corn prices probably don't quite factor in. Also, if you are importing diesel and fertilizer, you aren't quite self sustaining (I don't mean that in a pejorative sense, I like cheap and available food, but the popular idea of sustainability is about accounting for and balancing flows of energy, not keeping land productive).

That's sustainable energy sources. Sustainable farming is different.

My reading was that the comment meant "We're still here", not "We are among the best in the world at minimizing inputs".

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#47

Post by Tichy »

knieveltech wrote: post #22
Tichy wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Your average farmer doesn't have the resources required to field a lawsuit against a multi-national company.

Then that seems to be a flaw in the law system. Still, even if they don't start it, why would the company win frivolous claims?

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#48

Post by MartinCron »

stevoski wrote: post #16
va_coder wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Got a source for that claim?

Who needs a source (or nuanced facts, for that matter) when you've got such an impossibly sticky narrative? True or not, Monsanto will always be known as the people who sued over their seeds.

Which is a shame, because there are plenty of perfectly good reasons to hate Monsanto without delving into half-truths.

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#49

Post by protomyth »

skosuri wrote: post #35
wheaties wrote: post #5

Good for them. I've never met a company that could sue you because a honey bee or some other naturally event that has been occurring for hundreds of years happened. To that I'm referring to Monsato's practice of suing farmers who haven't used their seed variety having their fields cross pollinated with another farmer's fields who is using Monato's seed products. Really?! Ugh.

No not really. I think you are referring to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto_Canada_Inc._v._Schmeis... Read the case. He knowingly planted Roundup Ready plants across his whole field. Alternatively, find a case for what you say happened happening before you assume it to be true.

You might want to read the actual findings, they put patent law above rights of property holder. Not knowing might have mitigated the damages, but it would have not stopped the lawsuit.

Re: 5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion

#50

Post by va_coder »

Tichy wrote: post #15
va_coder wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

"Monsanto won its case against Parr, but the company, which won't comment on specific cases, has stopped its legal action for PR reasonsagainst the Runyons."

http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-18563_162-4048288.html

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