Monsanto behind legislation restricting farmers

A Bill has been introduced in the Ohio state legislature (USA) that 
would require registration and state-level regulation of anyone who cleans* 
or conditions self-pollinated seed. According to the Rural Advancement 
Foundation International** (RAFI), the proposed legislation is part of 
Monsanto's aggressive corporate strategy to police rural communities and 
intimidate seed-saving farmers.

"The proposed legislation is part of a dangerous trend to eliminate or 
restrict the right of farmers to save and exchange seed — all in the name 
of increasing seed industry profits", explained Hope Shand, Research 
Director of RAFI.

"We weren't surprised to learn that Monsanto is behind the Bill, because 
the company is already waging a ferocious campaign against seed-saving 
farmers and it's actively developing the controversial suicide seeds — or 
Terminator technology", said Shand.

Terminator is a technique for genetically altering a plant so that the 
seeds it produces are sterile.

According to the Ohio Seed Improvement Association, the proposal to amend 
Ohio's seed law originated with agribusiness giant Monsanto last year.

Monsanto is the world's largest seller of genetically modified seed. Under 
US patent law it is illegal for farmers to save or re-use patented seed.

To enforce its exclusive monopoly, Monsanto has aggressively prosecuted 
farmers for what the company calls "seed piracy."

Farmers who grow soybeans and wheat, for example, typically save seed from 
their harvest to re-plant the following year. An estimated 25 per cent of 
North American soybean seed is farm-saved seed.

Monsanto has waged an aggressive, draconian campaign against seed-saving 
farmers in North America. The company has hired Pinkerton [notorious union 
busters] investigators to root-out seed-saving farmers and it is using 
radio ads and telephone "tiplines" in farming communities to identify and 
intimidate farmers who might save or re-use the company's patented seed.

Under Monsanto's gene licensing agreement, the company reserves the right 
to come onto the farmer's land and take seed samples to ensure that the 
farmer is not violating patent law.

"It appears that Monsanto's newest strategy is to shift the expense and 
burden of policing rural communities to the seed cleaners and state 
governments.

If the Bill becomes law, it will be state regulators who become the "gene 
police" working on behalf of Monsanto, said Pat Mooney, Executive Director 
of RAFI.

If the Bill becomes law, it would require seed cleaners to keep detailed 
records on every seed cleaning transaction, to document the name of the 
farmer, seed variety names and whether or not the seed is protected by 
patents or breeders' rights.

This would place "an onerous regulatory burden on all seed-saving farmers 
and seed cleaners — not just farmers who buy Monsanto's patented seed", 
said Shand.

"State-level seed laws are supposed to protect farmers, not penalise them", 
asserts Sean McGovern, Executive Administrator of the Ohio Ecological Food 
and Farmers' Association, a Columbus, Ohio-based organisation that promotes 
sustainable agriculture and certifies organic farmers.

"I can't imagine any use for this Bill accept to enforce Monsanto's 
patents", concludes McGovern.

*Seed cleaning involves the removal of weed seeds and other foreign matter 
from harvested seeds, usually with the use of screens.

*RAFI is an international civil society organisation head-quartered in 
Canada. RAFI is dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of 
biodiversity, and to the socially responsible development of technologies 
useful to rural societies. RAFI is concerned about the loss of agricultural 
biodiversity, and the impact of intellectual property on farmers and food 
security.