| Farmer Calls Monsanto's Investigation 'Harassment' |
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| Written by Kiki Hubbard | |
| Monday, 21 July 2008 | |
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It's not enough for Monsanto to target just one farmer as it pursues alleged patent infringement. No, the company is trying to bring down an entire cooperative in a small Missouri town: population 750. The story of Pilot Grove is making headlines, first in a Vanity Fair piece two months ago and now in a new article by AP reporter Alan Scher Zagier. Monsanto is currently seeking (through a subpoena) records going back five years as well as depositions from more than 100 Pilot Grove customers. "With Monsanto, you're guilty until you're proven innocent," said one farmer. One of Monsanto's tactics is to make these cases so expensive that farmers have little recourse but to settle. Farmers who say they didn't illegally save Monsanto's patented seed spend thousands of dollars defending this position. Just ask David Brumback, a fourth generation farmer tied up in Monsanto’s investigation of the Pilot Grove Cooperative, who says investigators showed up on his farm in a Ford Expedition looking for his father last December. Only, his father died more than 10 years ago. “My dad wasn’t even here to see me harvest our first crop of Roundup Ready beans – that was in 1997,” Brumback explains. Apparently, Monsanto’s private investigators have tried to serve papers to 10 other people in Pilot Grove who are deceased. But getting the facts straight doesn't appear to be Monsanto's priority. Brumback calls himself a loyal Monsanto customer and is offended by Monsanto’s approach to this investigation, which he calls "harassment." He says he’s never planted saved seed, yet he’ll no doubt spend a great deal of money on an attorney. About 20 Pilot Grove customers have already decided to settle in order to avoid a costly fight. The details of these settlements are unknown due to gag orders, yet we know that to date out of court settlements with Monsanto may exceed $100,000,000. Post-sale restraints on saving seed ensures zero competition from seed saved by farmers each year. With seed prices reaching new heights, farmers are forced to buy new and expensive seed each season. And farmers have little choice in seed options since Monsanto controls 90% of the global transgenic seed market. Meaning, more and more farmers are left vulnerable to the bullying tactics of the one who holds monopoly power -- guilty or not.
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  written by Citizen Politician, July 21, 2008
Contact Monsanto: http://www.monsanto.com/who_we_are/contact_us.asp
written by Robert Wood, July 30, 2008
www.bidforgreen.com
Monsanto's practices in this matter are disgusting. The harassment and persecution they have been involved in against farmers should be made illegal. Sadly administrations from both political parties have turned a blind eye to this problem. Sadly Monsanto has been able to create such a monopoly that many farmers simply do not have a choice when it comes to the seed they plant. They must get them from one of the mega agribusiness outlets. I am shocked and saddened every time I think of the Monsanto Gestapo out hounding farmers. Using the full weight of the American Judicial system to persecute the very people we rely on to feed the world. What the hell happened?
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It's true what our moms said...we are what we eat. In fact, it's truer than they thought. What I eat doesn't just affect me anymore, it affects all of us.
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