Monsanto vs. Schmeiser: Modern

Monsanto vs. Schmeiser: Modern
David & Goliath Tale by Peggy Malnati

"In my case, I never had anything to do with Monsanto, outside of buying chemicals. I never signed a contract.
If I would go to St. Louis and contaminate their plots — destroy what they have worked on for 40 years — I think

I would be put in jail and the key thrown away."

— Percy Schmeiser, June 19, 2000

Percy Schmeiser is the Canadian farmer who took on Monsanto when they accused him of planting their proprietary GMO crops.

Percy denies ever having planted Monsanto's seeds, insisting instead that herbicide resistant canola weeds appeared in his fields and were impossible to eradicate.

Percy needs our help to continue his legal battle against the chemical and biotech giant.

The Canadian judge just ruled in favor of Monsanto against Percy Schmeiser.

Monsanto claims that he was illegally growing genetically- engineered canola without paying Monsanto a fee to use their seed.

There are many curious details about and disturbing implications to this new ruling, including:

• the fact that a farmer is supposed to know if and when his fields have become contaminated with pollen from genetically engineered (GE) plants and is then not supposed to plant this seed (even if it's from his own seedstock, a product of 50 years' careful selective breeding);

• that if the GE plants from one company cross with Monsanto's GE plants, that Monsanto owns the new hybrid plants, not both companies;

• that if Monsanto's GE plants cross with and contaminate non-GE plants, Monsanto also owns the new cross;

• that even though Percy had bred his own seed for 50 years, the fact that it had become "genetically polluted" with Monsanto's Roundup Ready products means that Monsanto now owns his seed stock too;

• that even though not all of his crop was contaminated and many of his fields had no genetic contamination at all, Percy must hand over the entire profit for all his fields for the calendar
year 1998;

• and it would seem that even though Monsanto has been publicly spreading misinformation about Percy and this case, and privately telling people that they were going to "get Percy," Monsanto is now entitled to damages.

The judge in this case has postponed rendering his decision five times prior to handing down his decision in mid-April.

Oddly enough, this same justice announced that he was stepping down from the bench last October, but is apparently still rendering decisions, including this landmark case.

Percy must decide within a short period of time if he can afford to file an appeal for this case, which has already cost him $200,000 Canadian — most of his and his wife's retirement fund.

His lawyers say it will cost him another $50,000 Canadian just to appeal. Percy doesn't have the $50,000 and if he doesn't appeal and get the decision reversed, he will have to pay Monsanto several hundred thousand dollars for damages in this case, which will not only wipe out his and his wife's entire life's savings, but bankrupt him in the process, possibly costing him his family farm.

If you feel strongly about the dangers of releasing genetically engineered products into the environment without testing, and about the threat that corporate bullying of farmers and other citizens means to a free society; if you're sick and tired of watching corporations buy government favor and waltz in and out of key cabinet positions; and if you just feel that Percy Schmeiser has been given a raw deal — both by Monsanto and by the Federal Court in Ottawa — then please call or write him and tell him you support what he's doing.

Also, please consider making a donation in any amount to the trust that has been set up to take donations to cover his court costs.

Your support is needed.