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Tuesday, June 11th, 2013

Organic Growers Lose Decision in Suit Versus Monsanto Over Seeds

Author:     CAREY GILLAM
Source:     Reuters
Publication Date:     Tuesday, June 11, 2013 2:38 EDT
 Link: Organic Growers Lose Decision in Suit Versus Monsanto Over Seeds
Stephan:   Here is the latest on Monsanto and The GMO Experiment Trend. The court's decision, that Monsanto pledged not to sue farmers in whose crops their genes occurred, so the farmers needn't fear being sued, covers only half the story. What is missing, notable particularly with the Oregon wheat event as context, is that it shows Monsanto has considered it likely the genes would spread. What does that mean? No one knows. We are playing around with the fundamental building blocks of nature, with very little understanding of what the out-years look like.

Monsanto Co. on Monday won another round in a lawsuit brought by U.S. organic growers as an appellate court threw out the growers’ legal challenge to prohibit the biotech seed company from suing them.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed a federal court ruling out of New York that found organic growers had no reason to try to block Monsanto from suing them as the company had pledged it would not take them to court.

Organic farmers and others have worried for years that they will be sued by Monsanto for patent infringement if their crops get contaminated with Monsanto biotech crops.

In its ruling Monday, the appellate court said the organic growers must rely on Monsanto assurances on the company’s website that it will not sue them so long as the mix is very slight.

‘Monsanto’s binding representations remove any risk of suit against the appellants as users or sellers of trace amounts (less than one percent) of modified seed,’ the court stated in its ruling.

Monsanto has developed a reputation for zealously defending patents on its genetically altered crops, which include patented ‘Roundup Ready’ soybeans, corn and cotton, genetically altered to tolerate treatments of its Roundup weedkiller.

The crops are […]

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