Food for Thought

**"MARGARET LAUTERBACH" m*@msn.com**

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/genetics_modification/percyschmeiser.html<http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/genetics_modification/percyschmeiserhtml>

 Five farmers neighbouring Schmeiser used Monsanto seeds, paying the company a licensing fee of $15 an acre. 

Schmeiser says he did a field test on three acres of his canola crop and discovered 60 per cent of the canola plants sprayed with Roundup herbicide survived thickest in the ditch, thinner deeper into his canola crop. Schmeiser has claimed all along that the Monsanto canola must have blown onto his field, or fallen from passing trucks.

I was quite surprised that he lost his case, but apparently he had sprayed Roundup on his canola and then saved seeds from those plants that survived the spraying.  He then planted those saved seeds the following year.  I think it was Monsanto's contention that he knew they were GM seeds, even though acquired by wind or rough road or some other non-human intervention.  And that means that anyone whose crop is recipient of GM pollen is guilty of "stealing" that technology.  I'd hope that Congress would set up some protective legislation for farmers, but they're much more interested in agribusiness.  We could sit back and wait for ADM and Monsanto lawyers to go at each other, but it's more likely that one snake would swallow the other.  Margaret Lauterbach
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