Farmers fight back against Monsanto lawsuits

Monsanto's genetically-modified crops spread their polluted pollen for miles. When this junk pollutes the crops of organic farmers, then Monsanto sues those farmers for patent infringement! After numerous lawsuits against them, the farmers are fighting back.

We should support them in every way that we can, so that these unscrupulous Babylonian corporations cannot put a patent on all seeds and all foods and thereby usurp authority over God's creation.

http://www.activistpost.com/2012/07/americas-farmers-fight-monsantos.html

Every year Monsanto investigates over 500 farmers for patent infringement with their now notorious "seed police". To date, 144 farmers have had lawsuits brought against them by Monsanto without a binding contract with the multinational corporation, while another 700 farmers have been forced to settle out of court for undisclosed sums.

"Monsanto is known for bullying farmers by making baseless accusations of patent infringement," said attorney Dan Ravicher of the not-for-profit legal services organization Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT), which represents the plaintiffs in the suit against Monsanto known as Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association et al. v Monsanto. "They've sued and harassed many other farmers who wanted nothing to do with their genetically modified seed and now that organic and conventional farmers are fighting back, they claim they would never do such a thing without backing up their words with an enforceable promise."

Nature has determined that seed and pollen can drift great distances, in some cases as far as 10-15 miles, increasing the likelihood of contamination of organic crops with genetics from Monsanto's laboratories. These seeds and crops are referred to as "transgenic" seed that has had DNA of foreign organisms inserted into its DNA through human engineered processes. Plaintiffs use and sell non­transgenic seed, more commonly referred to as heirloom, organic, or conventional seed. 

"We have a right to farm the way we choose," said Maine organic seed farmer Jim Gerritsen, President of lead plaintiff Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association (OSGATA). "Yet Monsanto is unwilling to control their GMO pollution and they refuse to sign a binding covenant not-to-sue our family farmers for patent infringement should their seed contaminate our crops. Monsanto's publicized 'Commitment' promising that they would not sue farmers was described by Monsanto's own lawyers as being 'vague.' The law says we deserve protection under the Declaratory Judgment Act. We will continue to pursue our right to farm, and the right of our customers to have access to good clean food and seed."