Monsanto GM ‘oil’ spill? I recall them going after farmers for using ‘their’ seeds?
I thought these “GM” plants were not supposed to be able to reproduce.
The bio-tech company Monsanto can sell genetically modified seeds before safety tests on them are completed, the US Supreme Court has ruled.
A lower court had barred the sale of the modified alfalfa seeds until an environmental impact study could be carried out.
But seven of the nine Supreme Court Justices decided that ruling was unconstitutional.
The seed is modified to be resistant to Monsanto's brand of weedkiller.
The US is the world's largest producer of alfalfa, a grass-like plant used as animal feed.
It is the fourth most valuable crop grown in the country.
Environmentalists had argued that there might be a risk of cross-pollination between genetically modified plants and neighbouring crops.
They also argued over-use of the company's weedkiller Roundup, the chemical treatment the alfalfa is modified to be resistant to, could cause pollution of ground water and lead to resistant "super-weeds".
But Monsanto says claims its products were dangerous amounted to "bad science fiction with no support on the record".
yes .. i remember that also
Of course their lawyers will have something to say about what constitutes 'trace amounts' and what behavior on the farmer's part, such as normal harvesting without taking the inordinate amount of time necessary to remove the trace amounts, constitutes a violation of their patent.
In short, the farmers are screwed and now evidently humanity.
Over time Monsanto will come up with nastier and nastier pesticides. They will simultaneously breed plants that are immune to these nasty pesticides. Meanwhile Mother Nature will be busy developing noxious weeds that are also resistant to Monsanto's nasty pesticides.
I hope we all like eating noxious weed with endive salad in a warm raspberry viniagrette.