Farida Majid
Five million farmers are suing Monsanto over excessive royalty fees. (photo: Friends Eat)
5 Million Farmers Sue Monsanto for $7.7 Billion
06 June 12
aunching a lawsuit against the very company that is responsible for a farmer suicide every 30 minutes, 5 million farmers are now suing Monsanto for as much as 6.2 billion euros (around 7.7 billion US dollars). The reason? As with many other cases, such as the ones that led certain farming regions to be known as the 'suicide belt', Monsanto has been reportedly taxing the farmers to financial shambles with ridiculous royalty charges. The farmers state that Monsanto has been unfairly gathering exorbitant profits each year on a global scale from "renewal" seed harvests, which are crops planted using seed from the previous year's harvest.The practice of using renewal seeds dates back to ancient times, but Monsanto seeks to collect massive royalties and put an end to the practice. Why? Because Monsanto owns the very patent to the genetically modified seed, and is charging the farmers not only for the original crops, but the later harvests as well. Eventually, the royalties compound and many farmers begin to struggle with even keeping their farm afloat. It is for this reason that India slammed Monsanto with groundbreaking 'biopiracy' charges in an effort to stop Monsanto from 'patenting life'.
Jane Berwanger, a lawyer for the farmers who went on record regarding the case, told the Associted Press:
"Monsanto gets paid when it sell the seeds. The law gives producers the right to multiply the seeds they buy and nowhere in the world is there a requirement to pay (again). Producers are in effect paying a private tax on production."
The findings echo what thousands of farmers have experienced in particularly poor nations, where many of the farmers are unable to stand up to Monsanto. Back in 2008, the Daily Mail covered what is known as the 'GM Genocide', which is responsible for taking the lives of over 17,683 Indian farmers in 2009 alone. After finding that their harvests were failing and they started to enter economic turmoil, the farmers began ending their own lives — oftentimes drinking the very same insecticide that Monsanto provided them with.
As the information continues to surface on Monsanto's crimes, further lawsuits will begin to take effect. After it was ousted in January that Monsanto was running illegal 'slave-like' working rings, more individuals became aware of just how seriously Monsanto seems to disregard their workers — so why would they care for the health of their consumers? In April, another group of farmers sued Monsanto for 'knowingly poisoning' workers and causing 'devastating birth defects'.
Will endless lawsuits from millions of seriously affected individuals be the end of Monsanto?
Comments
- The RSN Team
Stop complaing and do something. Start a petition... you chronic complainers. I will sign it.
Worse, you have no idea what people are doing outside this forum in an active, participatory way. Why would you suggest that you inherently do know all that transgress' beyond these zeros and ones? It's like wagging your finger at people for wagging their finger. Do as I say, not as I do?
I believe that Obama and his wife were sold a bill of goods, this last meeting where protestors were... I think Ms OB is wondering...you see there is conveniently so much not told, Studies not shown(there arent any long term studies because they change the formula daily kind of like those bath salts kids are using) I hope we get Monsanto and their buddies. Agent Orange was to be disposed of, never used again Here it is! And it always is used on Poor and Third World Countries. That is why we are eating Lead and Mercury from China
What goes around is coming back around. I was out there warning you all 40 years ago. I was warning the Third World Countries too.
So glad to hear about these lawsuits against them!
Michael R. Taylor's appointment by the Obama administration to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on July 7th 2009, sparked immediate debate and even outrage among many food and agriculture researchers, NGOs and activists. But American's have a short memory, perhaps from eating Monsanto's GMO Corn!
HE WAS The Vice President for Public Policy at Monsanto Corp. from 1998 until 2001, Now he is an Obama appointment...
who reading this article really thinks Obama cares about anyone but himself and his personal finances...
Obama will do nothing about Monsanto while this nauseating company continues to cause serious organ damage to people world wide and as long as Obama has a financial future as pay back, Monsanto, Wall Street his list of financial supporters grows daily as more comes out about this bumb...
Hey, but we need this creep in the White House another 4 years...God help us for what he will accomplish if he should be re-elected...
don't make it up -- look it up:
http://cleanfoodearth.blogspot.com/2012/03/meet-our-monsanto-dupont-usa-government.html link to
http://www.organicconsumers.org/usda_watch.cfm
Also http://redgreenandblue.org/2011/02/09/monsanto-employees-in-the-halls-of-government/
http://wellfedneighbor.ning.com/profiles/blogs/obama-appoints-monsanto-man-as
No DONALD RUMSFIELD OF THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION was part of Monsanto. This is just the way half truths get started. Rumsfield has made millions off of Monsanto.
Not to mention Rumsfeld also got aspartame (artificial sweetner) in foods that have killed and made thousands of people sick. They marketed this stuff as diet...indicating healthy. He paid a lot of people off to ram that crap through, so him being involved in Monsanto really doesnt surprise me.
I know people hate to be "informed" that Obama personally hand selected both Vilsack (USDA) and Taylor (FDA) so just keep pounding that in please. I do. If you arent interested in that relationship (President to corporations) You arent interested in a real solution.
However, John, your concern about him being re-elected vs a GOP candidate? Same difference. (in this case)
I am a liberal farmer. I voted for Obama on his pledge to get GMOs labeled. He lied. Instead he stuck Vilsack in office. Someone we all hate.
For those who dnt understand this:
As incoming president he is responsible for appointing the heads of these govt entities. (and many many more)
They are definitely "thank You" jobs which presidents hand out to those most beneficial to their party's agenda.
Your health is NOT their agenda. If you think it is, you are delusional. Money is the agenda.
He put these "bad-boys" in, no one else did. Not the republican held congress, and there was no strong arming done at all.
And the GOP would had chosen the same criminals. Not worse, the same ones. Imagine that.
I hate Monsanto. But at least they are obvious in their insincerity and wanting to take over the food industry. The politicians you rally behind are much more clever.
We no longer eat any corn or soy and try to watch which products use GMO Products..we won't buy them....
__._,_.___
