Roundup Ready
canola has been the source of much heartache for many
farmers. Roundup Ready canola seed is sold to the farmers for about 15 dollars an
acre. But, the
farmers must sign an agreement saying they will not use the seed next year. Each year they must again buy their seed from
Monsanto. To protect their interests,
Monsanto hires
private investigators to take samples from farmers fields to see if they are growing Roundup Ready when they shouldn't be, and suing them for
piles of money if they do.
Sure, using the seed a second year around could be considered
stealing, but these are usually
farmers who never bought the seed in the first place. When the plants go to seed it's spread far and wide, seed may fall from a truck headed to a different farm, and it's common tradition for farmers to trade seed with other farmers at the end of the year.
Monsanto ends up suing farmers who have absolutely no idea they have been growing Roundup Ready plants.
The day before this writing,
Monsanto won a court case against a 70 year old
farmer who had been found using Roundup Ready
canola without a
license. He has been forced to pay $15,000 dollars to Monsanto, and has
exhausted his
retirement savings in
court fees.
The
judge stated that it is the farmers duty to
destroy any Roundup ready crops on their lands if they did not pay for them. But how are the farmers supposed to carry this out? Have each and every plant on a 1,400 acre farm
genetically tested?