Laptop Battery MILAN -- The discovery of an undeclared plantation of genetically modified crops in Italy has given a new twist to the controversy over these crops.
Percy Schmeiser did not buy Monsanto's patented seed, nor did he obtain the seed illegally. Pollen from genetically engineered canola seeds blew onto his land from neighboring farms. (Percy Schmeiser's neighbors and an estimated 40% of farmers in Western Canada grow GM canola). Monsanto's GM canola genes invaded Schmeiser's farm without his consent. Shortly thereafter, Monsanto's "gene police" invaded his farm and took seed samples without his permission. but the court says he must now pay Monsanto $10, 000 for licensing fees and up to $75, 000 in profits from his 1998 crop. It's like saying that Monsanto's technology is spreading a sexually transmitted disease but everyone else has to wear a condom.
Thinkpad A routine inspection in the Piedmont region last month revealed that 400 hectares of supposedly conventional maize crop were in fact genetically modified.
The GM canola that drifted onto Schmeiser's farm was engineered to withstand spraying of Monsanto's proprietary weedkiller, Roundup. But Schmeiser did not use Roundup on his canola crop. After all, if Schmeiser had sprayed his crop, the chemical would have killed the majority of his canola plants that were not genetically modified to tolerate the weedkiller! Schmeiser didn't take advantage of Monsanto's GM technology, but the court ruling says he's guilty of using the seed without a licensing agreement.
Microsoft Coming soon after new European Union (EU) legislation on labeling and traceability of genetically modified (GM) food and animal feed, the Piedmont case has led to demands for strict controls and for legal action against those responsible for the contamination of seeds.
On 29 March 2001 a Canadian judge dealt a crushing blow to Farmers' Rights by ruling that Percy Schmeiser, a third generation Saskatchewan farmer, must pay Monsanto thousands of dollars for violating the Gene Giant's monopoly patent on genetically modified canola seed. Under Canadian patent law, as in the US and many other industrialized countries, use patented seed, or to grow Monsanto's GM seed without signing a licensing agreement. If the Gene Giants and US Trade Reps get their way, every nation in the world will be forced to adopt patent laws that make seed saving illegal. The ruling against Schmeiser establishes an even more dangerous precedent because it means that farmers can be forced to pay royalties on GM seeds found on their land, even if they didn't buy the seeds, or benefit from them.
Laptop Computers The 100 or so farmers involved in the Piedmont case have said they believed they planted conventional seeds. The case is under investigation.
According to the indictment, Jones would steal various IBM and Penguin computer servers from Verisign's warehouse in Virginia and sell them to Johnson. Johnson would then sell the servers to several individuals, who would sometimes place them for sale on eBay. As a result of this scheme, the indictment alleges that Jones and Johnson caused Verisign to lose more than $120, 000 worth of computer equipment. In the indictment, Jones and Johnson are charged in three counts with causing the interstate transportation of stolen property, namely IBM 330 and 335 servers, in violation of 18 U.S.C.
Laptop Computer Notwithstanding the farmers' plea, the plantation was immediately destroyed on orders from Piedmont's governor Enzo Ghigo.
Thanks in large part to Terminator technology, the Monsanto moniker has became synonymous with GM seeds and corporate greed. Although Monsanto disavowed "suicide seeds" in the wake of international public protest, using patented seed, saving farmers, fee hotlines to encourage rural residents to snitch on their farm neighbors. Monsanto has threatened to "vigorously prosecute" hundreds of cases against seed saving farmers, but Schmeiser's was the first major case to reach the courts. Schmeiser courageously decided to fight back and speak out against bioserfdom.
Desktop Computer Biotechnology organizations were critical of the strong measure, but several consumer and environmental associations supported Ghigo's decision. Francesco Ferrante, director-general of the environment group Legambiente said there was no alternative because the GM plantations could contaminate adjacent traditional plantations.
Notebooks Greenpeace went further. It said in a press statement that "local reports and previous experience suggest that GM varieties produced by Monsanto may be the source of the contamination." It asked for the investigation to cover "Monsanto's policy of deliberate contamination of non-GM seeds and farming." Monsanto is the U.S. firm that has become a pioneer in development of GM crops.
Lenovo "If Monsanto and its sales agents such as Pioneer Seeds are allowed to continually contaminate normal non-GM seeds, then that will make absolute nonsense of the new legislation because it will entirely deny any choice for farmers or for consumers," says Greenpeace spokesperson Federica Ferrario.
Hard Drive The European Parliament voted to end a five-year ban on GM food last month, but adopted the world's toughest rules on labeling and traceability of such foods.
Travelstar The United States and some biotechnology multinationals had recently contested the EU's long ban on GM foods. They filed a suit with the World Trade Organization to lift the ban. Under the new rules, GM foods can only be sold in Europe if they are clearly labeled.
Gateway All foods with more than 0.9 percent modified content will require labeling. The legislation covers ingredients, some foods not previously considered such as highly refined maize oil produced from GM-maize, and animal feed. Dealers will be required to maintain strict records all along the commercial chain.
Laptop Parts But the new rules do not cover protection for adjacent conventional crops from GM plantations. Each EU member state will be allowed--but not obliged--to take independent measures against contamination.
Software Europe's Consumer Affairs Commissioner David Byrne says the new legislation will let consumers choose whether they want GM foods or not. But neither the U.S. nor the GM industry is satisfied. The Bush administration argues the labeling requirement presents an unfair trade barrier to biotech imports. They fear it will deter most customers from buying products labeled as GM produce.
Hard Drives The fears are well founded. Several surveys indicate that most people in the EU oppose genetically modified food, and that they are unlikely to buy food that carries a label like 'This is the produce of GMOs'.
Electronics This consumer trend has not gone unobserved among food producers and retailers. The British Retail Consortium, representing 90 percent of high-street shops in Britain has declared it will not deal in GM foods because "supermarkets are not going to give shelf space to something that doesn't sell."
Canon Luigi Rossi di Montelera, president of Federalimentare, the Italian federation for the food industry, agrees that producers and retailers do not want to offer GM foods because consumers are hesitant about buying such food.
Desktop Pc A Greenpeace survey among food companies in Germany shows that 170 out of 216 companies asked for products without GM ingredients, and only 18 said they do not want to exclude GM food.
Desktop Computers But despite the strong resistance to GM foods from consumers and companies, environmentalists fear that dealers in GM foods will exploit the loopholes in the new rules. The greatest concern is over contamination of conventional crops by GM crops, as in the Piedmont case.
Think Pad "We can't let GM crops and their multinationals take advantage of the Trojan Horse of contamination, whether accidental or deliberate," says Ferrante.
Repair "Preventing genetic contamination should now be the number one priority for the EU," says Eric Gall, Greenpeace's EU Advisor on genetic engineering. "If nothing is done to protect conventional and organic crops from genetic contamination, the new labeling system will actually be at risk of becoming useless after a few years because it will be increasingly hard to secure GM-free supplies."
[ Comment, Edit or Article Submission ]
