Monsanto's Harvest of Fear

Cognitive Dissident writes "Intellectual property thuggery is not restricted to the IT and entertainment industries. The May 2008 edition of Vanity Fair carries a major feature article on the mafiaa-like tactics of Monsanto in its pursuit of total domination of various facets of agribusiness. First in GM seeds with its 'Roundup Ready' crops designed to sell more of its Roundup herbicide, and more recently in milk production with rBGH designed to squeeze more milk out of individual cows, Monsanto has been resorting to increasingly over-the-top tactics to prevent what it sees as infringement or misrepresentation of its biotechnology. As with other forms of IP tyranny, the point is not really to help the public but to consolidate corporate power. Quotes: 'Some compare Monsanto's hard-line approach to Microsoft's zealous efforts to protect its software from pirates. At least with Microsoft the buyer of a program can use it over and over again. But farmers who buy Monsanto's seeds can't even do that.' and '"I don't know of a company that chooses to sue its own customer base," says Joseph Mendelson, of the Center for Food Safety. "It's a very bizarre business strategy." But it's one that Monsanto manages to get away with, because increasingly it's the dominant vendor in town.' Sound familiar?"

Comments

Re:This ain't a charity

[Bronster]

they can keep planting the old garden variety ones

right until the modified crop contaminates their supply and they get sued for keeping the seeds.

Re:Pure Evil

[Anonymous Coward]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-842180934463681887

please take the time to watch this video.
What everyone should know about monsanto and the ill will they do to our world.

Re:This ain't a charity

[advocate_one]

Also recent trials have shown that GM seeds remain viable for up to ten years after the initial sowing... so even if you've stopped using their seed on your fields, the damned things can still germinate several years later and leave you liable, or your successor (if you've cashed up and sold on) liable to IP violation charges...

A Swedish study has found viable GM canola seed persisted for up to 10 years under European conditions, but Dr Preston said Australian research had found canola seed persisted only for 3.5 years under local conditions.

This still presents challenges for farmers wanting to switch in and out of the GM/non-GM markets by sowing alternate crops, Dr Preston said.

If a farmer wants to sow non-GM canola following a GM canola crop, they will need to wait up to four years to be assured of not getting GM contamination.

note 4 years for Australian farmers, ten years for EU farmers...

Re:Pure Evil

[vil3nr0b]

Agreed. Obviously the parent did not have parents who had a farm. There are very few small farmers left. By this I am talking about those farming less than 2,000 acres. The number one rule for small farmers is not to get in bed with these fucks and any other person trying to sell magic products. They control seed prices with a strong arm and the same goes for farmers stuck selling chickens to Tyson.

Re:Pure Evil

[mh1997]

Remember the Monarch Butterflies? This company pursued research out in the open, without any environmental safeguards, and killed a large portion of the Monarch Butterfly population in recent years.

Wrong! The monarch caterpillers eat milkweed and only milkweed. Monarch butterflies only lay eggs on milkweed. (http://www.gpnc.org/monarch.htm) If anyone is killing the monarch butterfly, it is the average person that mows their lawn and pulls the weeds in that lawn. Monsanto modified corn to kill pests of various kinds and the monarch butterfly was reported incorrectly by the media to be one of those pests. The only pests that would be killed were those that ate the gm corn. Or I guess we could back the environmentally friendly crop dusting that has a tendency to kill birds, dogs, cats, mice, bugs, people, etc. that happen to be under the plane while it is dropping chemicals that drift with the wind. Are there problems with gm corn, I don't have all the answers, but the killing of monarch butterflies is not one of the problems.

In Missouri: a law to ban "BGH Free" labeling

[throatmonster]

There is currently a bill in the Missouri (USA) house, obviously written by Monsanto lobbyists, and brought to the floor by their bought-off legislators. The bill specifically prohibits organic milk producers from being able to label their product as BGH-Free, but fails to force any BGH-based milk from labeling their products as being produced with this substance.

Sorry, but that's evil. As a consumer, regardless of whether I like BGH or hate it, I have a right to know. There are enough people concerned about the possible effects of BGH that they want to steer clear. But if Monsanto gets their way with this bill, how will a Missouri consumer be able to know?

This is just one example of Monsanto's evil-ness. There are similar bills in other states in the US that are written by Monsanto lobbyists as well. It needs to be stopped. Yes, I've written my house representatives and told them I am against the bill.