Agribusiness hijacks agricultures thanks to patents

Monsanto produces a seed that is supposed to be used only for one harvest. The first harvest comes, and the farmers use the fertile seeds of the plants they harvested. Then comes monsanto and steels their work away from them. Fantasy? No, reality:

: "Agribusiness giant Monsanto has sued more than 100 U.S. farmers, and its 'seed police' have investigated thousands of others, for what the company terms illegal use of its patented genetically engineered seeds, and activists charge is 'corporate extortion'. "

According to Joe Mendelson, legal director for Centre for Food Safety (CFS) "Monsanto's business plan for GE crops depends on suing farmers". This is far beyond a scandal this is a proof of how the patents as they are set in law today are harmful for businesses (farmers) and consumers, not better. We need a better patent system that protects also customers and users not just the producers which in a overwhelming number of situations is a big corporation, not "the little guy!"

"In the well-known case of Canadian farmer Percy Schmeiser, pollen from a neighbour's GE canola fields and seeds that blew off trucks on their way to a processing plant ended up contaminating his fields with Monsanto's genetics.

The trial court ruled that no matter how the GE plants got there, Schmeiser had infringed on Monsanto's legal rights when he harvested and sold his crop. After a six-year legal battle, Canada's Supreme Court ruled that while Schmeiser had technically infringed on Monsanto's patent, he did not have to pay any penalties.

Schmeiser, who spoke at last year's World Social Forum in India, says it cost 400,000 dollars to defend himself. "

Who pays that? You pay when you go to the supermarket to buy your soy products you will have to pay for all the legal actions that are pursued against farmers. In the end we all pay for Monsanto's successfull lawsuits against farmers.