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“Tractor-chasing lawyers have prematurely filed suit without any evidence of fault and in advance of the crop’s harvest.” ¹ — Monsanto

U.S. wheat farmers are holding Monsanto responsible for creating and patenting a product that is so toxic to farmers’ financial health that its mere presence on a single U.S. farm results in consumer rejection and consequent decreased value for all wheat on every farm in the U.S.A.¹

What product could possibly produce such devastating financial losses? Monsanto’s Roundup resistant, genetically modified wheat.

Naturally, Monsanto sees itself as the victim in this outrageous situation, even suggesting that villainous souls may have intentionally planted Monsanto patented wheat to “sabotage” Monsanto.²

There’s frightening irony in the fact that Monsanto created genetically modified wheat with the intent of selling it to farmers, and after that same wheat shows up in a farmer’s field, Monsanto suggests that saboteurs are out to destroy Monsanto.

This isn’t the first time farmers have had to bear the cost of irresponsible biotechnology giants.

“The 2000 release of Aventis SA’s StarLink corn cost as much as $288 million in lost revenue and a yearlong drop in the grain’s price, according to a 2008 report by the Government Accountability Office. The 2006 release of Bayer AG’s Liberty Link rice cost as much as $1.29 billion in lost exports, food recalls and other expenses, the GAO said, citing an environmental advocacy group. Bayer in 2011 agreed to pay $750 million to about 11,000 U.S. rice farmers who sued the company.”³

Once again, there is frightening irony in Monsanto’s demeaning use of the phrase “tractor-chasing lawyers” to describe farmers who seek legitimate compensation due to real financial losses farmers have and will experience due to Monsanto’s unwanted transgenic wheat.

Dr. Mercola states, “Monsanto employs an arsenal of private investigators and agents who secretly videotape farmers, snatch crop samples from their land and even fly helicopters overhead to spy — all to catch farmers saving or sharing seeds. As of 2005 Monsanto had 75 employees and a $10-million budget solely to investigate and prosecute farmers for patent infringement.”⁴

Some of the farmers Monsanto sues for patent violation didn’t want and didn’t buy Monsanto seeds at all. Rather, Monsanto’s seed or pollen contaminated their farms. That fact doesn’t deter Monsanto from suing these farmers. ⁴

Suing farmers is a lucrative revenue source for Monsanto. As of November 28, 2012, Monsanto has raked in $23,675,820.99 from farmers. But that figure doesn’t include Monsanto’s gains from confidential, out-of-court settlements. According to Center For Food Safety, “Farmers have paid Monsanto an estimated $85,653,601 to $160,594,230 in settlements of these seed piracy matters.”⁵

In light of Monsanto’s allegation of potential “sabotage” in the case of their genetically modified wheat, one has to wonder how they came up with such an idea. Do Monsanto investigators spread Monsanto seeds while trespassing on farmers’ property? Do Monsanto investigators get paid on commission? Do they earn a percentage on court victories?

There’s more irony in the fact that while Monsanto claims no responsibility for the Monsanto wheat found in Oregon, Monsanto is currently conducting open-field GM wheat testing in Hawaii and North Dakota.⁶

Of course that means Monsanto is actively planning to unleash yet another version or versions of GM wheat—wheat that will once again result in lost market share for U.S. farmers.⁷ And Monsanto will do it with the blessing of the USDA. Considering the fact that the USDA’s mission includes promoting American agriculture, isn’t it ironic the USDA continues to approve genetically modified crops that destroy American agriculture?

Virtually no one wants biotech seeds or food and absolutely no one needs biotech seeds or foods, but Monsanto doesn’t care what people want or need. Monsanto will use any and all methods to muscle and money their way into governments, fields, and foods.

They will even use war to their advantage. Since the U.S.A. “liberated” Iraq from Saddam Hussein’s oppressive regime, the “liberators” gave “free” genetically modified seeds–including wheat–to Iraqi farmers, locking the farmers into perpetual Monsanto serfdom.⁸

Monsanto has always used their patented seeds to their legal and financial advantage while shirking responsibility for the immense damage that results from their patented seeds and poisons.

It’s long past time for Monsanto to stop profiting from genetic contamination. It’s time for Monsanto to pay in full for the devastating losses farmers experience due to Monsanto’s unwanted and—in the case of wheat—illegal genetically modified products.

Good for the two or three farmers who are suing Monsanto. But it will take far more than two or three to make a difference. Five million Brazilian farmers have sued Monsanto, and yet Monsanto continues to cram its unwanted products down the throats of the world.⁹

Of course, there’s nothing ironic about any of this; it’s just business as usual at Monsanto.

Notes
1. Andrew Harris & Alan Bjerga, “Monsanto Sued by Farmer Over Gene-Altered Seed Release,” Bloomberg, June 4, 2013, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-06-04/monsanto-sued-by-farmer-over-gene-altered-seed-release.html

2. David Knowles, “Monsanto says sabotage may be behind GMO wheat in Oregon as more farmers file suit,” New York Daily News, June 6, 2013,
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/monsanto-sabotage-behind-oregon-gmo-wheat-article-1.1365598

3. “Monsanto Legal Risks Linger With Suit as Wheat Futures Rebound,” AgWeb, http://www.agweb.com/mobile/newsdetail.aspx?ArticleId=336468

4. Dr. Joseph Mercola, “Monsanto’s Many Attempts to Destroy All Seeds but Their Own,
March 07, 2009, Mercola.com, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/07/monsantos-many-attempts-to-destroy-all-seeds-but-their-own.aspx

5. “Monsanto v. U.S. Farmers, 2012 Update,” Center For Food Safety,
http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/files/monsanto-v-us-farmer-2012-update-final_98931.pdf

6. Fritz Kreiss, “Monsanto Found to Have 2 ‘Secret’ GMO Wheat Test Fields in the US at this Time,” Occupy Monsanto, June 4, 2013, http://occupymonsanto360.org/blog/monsanto-found-to-have-2-secret-gmo-wheat-test-fields-in-the-us-at-this-time/

7. Sean Ellis, “Monsanto creating new Wheat Technology Center in Idaho,” Capital Press, June 6, 2013, http://www.capitalpress.com/content/SE-Monsanto-Idaho-Main-061413

8. F. William Engdahl, “Iraq and Washington’s ‘seeds of democracy’,” Current Concerns, 2005, http://www.currentconcerns.ch/archive/2005/05/20050507.php

9. Amanda Taylor, “Monsanto: The Big Bad Wolf,” The Vancouver Vector, April 11th, 2013, http://www.vancouvervector.com/world/monsanto-the-big-bad-wolf/

Begich Disturbed by Reports of Potentially Damaging Frankenfish and GMO Wheat
Cites Study of Frankenfish’s Ability Breed with Wild Salmon and Mysterious Discovery of Monsanto Wheat
May 29, 2013

U.S. Senator Mark Begich of Alaska reacted with strong concern today to two troubling news items highlighting the immediate threat of genetically modified foods spreading into Americans’ food supply – one demonstrating the ability of Frankenfish to breed with wild fish and the other reporting on discovery of an un-approved strain of GMO wheat in Oregon.

A study conducted by Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada, and released today found that genetically modified (GMO) salmon has the capacity to breed with wild trout and pass their engineered genes along to their offspring. The Frankenfish-trout hybrids proved even more voracious than either their genetically modified or natural parents, amplifying the threat to ocean ecosystems.

“It is clear GMO products pose a widespread and unmanageable threat to our wild fish supply and today’s reports indicate that developers of these Frankenfish have not presented us with the basic facts,” said Begich. “We can’t let these GMO promoters play Russian roulette with our food supply.”

Both Aquabounty and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which recently issued a finding of No Significant Impact, have repeatedly asserted that all the relevant research has taken place. Begich expressed further frustration the research on GMO salmon breeding with wild fish is just now being done.

The second concerning report comes from the discovery of a strain of genetically modified wheat growing in an Oregon field. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has never approved any genetically modified wheat, so it is unclear why the Monsanto product was growing there. The U.S. exports about half of our wheat, much of it to countries that ban GMO products, raising concerns that the findings could threaten U.S. exports.

“It is important to consider these two items together. Aquabounty assures us that there is no way for their Frankenfish to get into the wild. But the USDA and Monsanto gave us the same assurances that their GE wheat couldn’t get into production, and look at what happened. This all goes to show us that once you let the Franken-Genie out of the test tube, it’s almost impossible to put back in,” Begich said.

Begich’s Anti-GMO Work in the Senate:

Begich also recently co-sponsored an amendment to the Senate Farm Bill to eliminate the so-called “Monsanto Rider” – a rider which would strip the courts of their power to halt the planting of genetically modified crops that could be dangerous to people or the environment. Begich has led the charge in Congress to prevent the FDA from approving genetically modified salmon until a proper review of its potential environmental impacts can take place. Begich recently led 12 senators in a formal challenge to the FDA draft Environmental Assessment of the Aquabounty GMO salmon and finding of no significant environmental impact. He earlier led an effort to extend the public comment period to allow more time for the public to weigh in on the FDA’s assessment.

Category: Blog

Monsanto And USDA: Destroying American Agriculture One Crop At A Time

Begich Disturbed by Reports of Potentially Damaging Frankenfish and GMO Wheat