The Evilness of Monsanto Hits WA Farmers

RupertofOZ

It's insane enough the the evil bastards of Monsanto usually sue for any cross-contaminated crops on neighbouring land...

But now they're actually fighting a law suit on the basis that "cross-contamination" can't be avoided....

And sadly the WA government, that relaxed the laws regarding GM crops last year... isn't prepared to lift a finger in defence of WA farmers affected...

http://www.truefood.org.au/newsandevents/?news=119

http://www.truefood.org.au/newsandevents/?news=118

arbe

One of the reasons I wont lease my block to someone who wants to put in Canola - as much as a large field/paddock of yellow flowers looks nice there are too many problems such as this.

I just hope my neighbours do the same.

earthbound

Unbelievable..............

To those that can't be bothered looking at the links, the basics are...

Quote:

For the first time in Australia, an organic farmer has lost their organic status because of contamination by GM canola. Kojonup farmer, Steve Marsh, confirmed in January that his oat and wheat crops have been downgraded to conventional crops because 70 per cent of his property has been contaminated with Monsanto's Roundup Ready Canola.

Considering that organic wheat sells for $500 to $800 a tonne more than conventional wheat and GM seeds can remain viable for a number of years, Mr Marsh is facing massive financial losses. He has confirmed he will take legal action. In response, Monsanto has announced that it will bank-roll it's GM farmers legal defence.

Meanwhile, the Western Australian Government has done nothing to assist Mr Marsh. Agriculture Minister Terry Redman has taken the same position as Monsanto regarding Mr Marsh's decertification. In October, Redman wrote to Mr Marsh blaming organic standards for not allowing GM contamination. "The threshold for accidental presence in organic crops is an important issue which needs to be addressed to enable coexistence," Minister Redman wrote, stating that zero tolerance for GM in organic crops is "unrealistic".

This makes me really angry.. I have just written to the west Australian agriculture minister Minister.Redman@dpc.wa.gov.au

I urge other to write to him and express your feelings, if you have strong feelings about this kind of thing.

RupertofOZ

Yeah... the contamination issue is bad enough... but for the minister (Redman), to suggest that the organic standards should "allow for GM contamination"... is just friggin unbelievable... what a dickhead...

arbe

70% of a farm contaminated. That sounds awfully large - how are his neighbours seeding their paddocks - by throwing the seed in the air on windy day? I cant see a farmer doing that though at the price of a 15kg bag of Canola Seed (from memory there was 50 bags to a pallet which cost $18,000)

BTW - I commend Mr Marsh for farming organically - something I plan to do with my place when I move up there and start farming it myself.

RupertofOZ

The "exclusion zone" under the new regs in WA... is a mere 5mtrs.... wind and insect pollination is all it takes....

earthbound

Yeah, shocking, I'm pretty much lost for words at the stupidity of it..

arbe

RupertofOZ wrote:

The "exclusion zone" under the new regs in WA... is a mere 5mtrs.... wind and insect pollination is all it takes....

Rupe/Anyone,

Please educate me here.

The seed is 'injected' into the ground by the seeder and the ground covered over so I cant see the seed being blown around by the wind.

GM Canola is also meant to be benign/sterile so the second generation seed wont sprout so how does cross pollination occur?

@earthbound,

Agreed.

RupertofOZ

It's not the seed being blown around... it's the pollen from flowering crops...

You're correct that GM crops wont pollinate viable seed within themselves... a deliberate Monsanto genetic engineering.... but pollen will fertilise non-GM crops... and pass on the GM gene....

This is the justification that Monsanto has previously used to sue farmers for illegal use of their Gm gene in subsequent crops that were cross-pollinated...

arbe

So it doesn't matter if it is a 5M or 5000M exclusion zone - birds and insects could still cross contaminate - what hope have organic farmers - or any farmer for that matter have without the assistance/protection of the Agriculture Minister?

RupertofOZ

None.... and if Monsanto can prove that your crop contains the genetically modified genes... they can demand an annual "licencing fee" from you...

arbe

RupertofOZ wrote:

None.... and if Monsanto can prove that your crop contains the genetically modified genes... they can demand an annual "licencing fee" from you...

I can demand things too but I dont usually get them

- I guess Monsanto have enough lawyers around so you end up paying any way.

arbe

I cant seem to find the article or a press release published on the Monsanto web site ;-)

Perhaps I could contact them and make them aware of it as well as let them know how I feel about the situation.

RupertofOZ

arbe wrote:

I cant seem to find the article or a press release published on the Monsanto web site ;-)

No surprise... and I think the farmer is actually suing the neighbouring farmers, not Monsanto directly.... but Monsanto ...

Quote:

has announced that it will bank-roll it's GM farmers legal defence.

I'm sure that Monsanto would argue that it's not "their" fault that any cross-contamination occurred... :roll:

arbe wrote:

Perhaps I could contact them and make them aware of it as well as let them know how I feel about the situation.

I wouldn't tell them where you lived... or where your crops/fields might be... you'd probably find men in black swarming all over your canola... :wink:

arbe

This also begs the question of what is an Organic Crop....

If the land the crop is grown on is prepared organically and no chemicals etc are used yet some cross contamination from a neighbouring farm (which could be many kilometers away) occurs how does that change the status of the crop?

Unless something has been done deliberately to the crop/soil - ie chemicals sprayed on it - then in my eyes the crop is still organic.

I bet if it really comes down to it the organisation which certifies your crop as organic could find the smallest thing wrong with it (which is well beyond your control) and down grade your crop.

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The Evilness of Monsanto Hits WA Farmers

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