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Biotech Company To Patent Pigs

Posted by samzenpus on from the bring-home-the-bacon dept.

Anonymous Swine writes "Monsanto, a US based multinational biotech company, is causing a stir by its plan to patent pig-breeding techniques including the claim on animals born by the techniques. 'Agricultural experts are scrambling to assess how these patents might affect the market, while consumer activists warn that if the company is granted pig-related patents, on top of its tight rein on key feed and food crops, its control over agriculture could be unprecedented. "We're afraid that Monsanto and other big companies are getting control of the world's genetic resources," said Christoph Then, a patent expert with Greenpeace in Germany. The patent applications, filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization, are broad in scope, and are expected to take several years and numerous rewrites before approval.'"

9 of 285 comments (clear)

  1. Monsanto's motto... by yoder · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Do only evil."

    So far they're on track.

    --
    "In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act!" -- George Orwell (Eric Arthur Blair)
    1. Re:Monsanto's motto... by laughingcoyote · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Do only evil

      Seriously? Creating new sources of food is evil? Patents last for a few years or a couple decades (at most). New sources of food will continue to pay dividends for generations.

      Since exactly when are pigs a new source of food? I seem to remember enjoying bacon my entire life.

      If they can come up with a genuinely new source of food, rather than retreading an old one and trying to claim they own it, I might say there's a case to be made.

      --
      To fight the war on terror, stop being afraid.
    2. Re:Monsanto's motto... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Unfortunately in the real world the creator of the crop killing plant sues the victim.

  2. Re:patents and insanity by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The problem with GMO crops, and more importantly, for anti-GMO people, is that they are simply better for the farmer. They can produce more for less work. Even when you take the licensing costs into account, it is more economical overall. Presumably, the anti-GMO people are against this push into new markets because it will do the same for pig farmers as it did for crop farmers. And that'll make it harder for anti-GMO people to continue their "organic" lifestyle.

    ... because mono-cultures are SO much better than diversity ...

    ... because they'll never abuse their monopoly license ...

    ... because it's easy to keep GMOs from contaminating non-GMOs (crops/animals) ...

    ... because selective breeding is such a radical and new idea ...

    ... because they'll never take a naturally-occurring species and slip a patent on it ...

    After all, what could possibly go wrong?

  3. A history of evil by Reason58 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    God help you if one of their seeds blows onto your property and one of their pigs eat it.

  4. Re:STFU Enviro-nazi's by MightyMartian · · Score: 4, Insightful

    "Best" is relative here. Having a single company control agricultural output in the way that Monsanto does, free markets or no, is a damned dangerous thing. This is about the core structural support of civilization. Fuck with the food supply, and bad things can happen.

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  5. Monsanto is dangerous by meist3r · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Needs to be stopped, burned and sealed away.

  6. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  7. Re:patents and insanity by Keith+Duhaime · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Most of the anti-GMO crowd is pretty simple in their thinking. They'll rave about organic crops that rely heavily on tillage techniques which promote oxidation of soil organic matter, breakdown of soil structure, and other adverse effects, but condemn GMOs like Round-Up Ready crops that enable zero-tillage systems that preserve soil organic matter, moisture, and structure.