• Kansas farmer sues Monsanto because of Oregon GMO wheat discovery
    40 replies, posted
[url]http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/kansas-farmer-sues-monsanto-after-genetically-engineered-wheat-found-in-field-1.1311471[/url] [quote=CTV]A Kansas farmer has sued seed giant Monsanto over last week's discovery of genetically engineered experimental wheat in an 80-acre field in Oregon, claiming the company's gross negligence hurt U.S. growers by driving down wheat prices and causing some international markets to suspend certain imports. The federal civil lawsuit, filed Monday by Ernest Barnes, who farms 1,000 acres near Elkhart in southwest Kansas, seeks unspecified damages to be determined at trial. U.S. Agriculture Department officials said last Wednesday that the modified wheat was the same strain as one designed by Monsanto to be herbicide-resistance that was tested in Oregon and several other states through 2005 but never approved. The USDA has said the Oregon wheat is safe to eat and there is no evidence that modified wheat entered the marketplace.[/quote] Sobotnik to defend Monsanto's monopoly in 3...2...
Hopefully this goes somewhere
This is probably going to get thrown out the window because the man has no relation to the field in which the wheat was grown, and is only claiming damages that were respondent to economical loss from import bans which is based on the whole, "BAWWWW GMO FOODS EVUL"
Monsanto is invincible. They can claim that anyone against their business practices is wholly anti-GMO, and the world will believe them.
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[QUOTE=wickedplayer494;40905825]Sobotnik to defend Monsanto's monopoly in 3...2...[/QUOTE] It's not a great company, but people use shit arguments against it. For instance, the farmer is claiming damages because of a depression in wheat prices, not because Monsanto did something like break their contract with him.
Yeah, I'm no lawyer, but IMO this guys case is worth less than the majority of retarded patent cases between phone manufactures.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;40906039]It's not a great company, but people use shit arguments against it. For instance, the farmer is claiming damages because of a depression in wheat prices, not because Monsanto did something like break their contract with him.[/QUOTE] I don't know how screwing over farmers and painfully monopolizing multiple industries is a shit argument against it.
Just FYI, the Monsanto entry on Wikipedia has a section entitled: "US Public officials' connections to Monsanto." Basically, they're politically untouchable.
[QUOTE=Amez;40906166]I don't know how screwing over farmers and painfully monopolizing multiple industries is a shit argument against it.[/QUOTE] Did they read the fineprint, and sign the contract? Their own fault at that point. If you don't like Monsanto, don't do business with them, it's simple really. Better yet, goto your state legislators and request something similar to North Dakota's right to farm amendment: [quote][B]Text of Section 29:[/B] The right of farmers and ranchers to engage in modern farming and ranching practices shall be forever guaranteed in this state. No law shall be enacted which abridges the right of farmers and ranchers to employ agricultural technology, modern livestock production and ranching practices.[/quote]
[QUOTE=wickedplayer494;40905825] Sobotnik to defend Monsanto's monopoly in 3...2...[/QUOTE] That was uncalled for. Maybe instead of being an asshole to people who disagree with you, you could try strengthening your argument and actually engaging in debate. [editline]1[/editline] Fine, go back to your "CORPORATIONS ARE EVIL xD" circlejerk.
[QUOTE=wickedplayer494;40905825]Sobotnik to defend Monsanto's monopoly in 3...2...[/QUOTE] I planted some completely natural watermelon seeds over the weekend, purchased from a local farmer. He's using the rest to plant his own crop, which he'll be selling and re-planting on his own. What exactly does Monsanto have a monopoly on again?
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;40906197]Did they read the fineprint, and sign the contract? Their own fault at that point. [B]If you don't like Monsanto, don't do business with them, it's simple really. [/B]Better yet, goto your state legislators and request something similar to North Dakota's right to farm amendment:[/QUOTE] That's difficult when you don't make enough money unless you do business with Monsanto.
[QUOTE=Zatar963;40906395]That's difficult when you don't make enough money unless you do business with Monsanto.[/QUOTE] Welcome to the Free Market. Do business with the right figures, or you fail.
[QUOTE=catbarf;40906306]I planted some completely natural watermelon seeds over the weekend, purchased from a local farmer. He's using the rest to plant his own crop, which he'll be selling and re-planting on his own. What exactly does Monsanto have a monopoly on again?[/QUOTE] GMO crops that are more efficient, naturally resistant to pests and require less water.
[QUOTE=TestECull;40906438]GMO crops that are more efficient, naturally resistant to pests and require less water.[/QUOTE] So if I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying Monsanto has a monopoly because they're offering a product which is better than other alternatives? How is that a monopoly? Monopolies are when one company has sole control of distribution of an essential product, allowing them to price it at exploitative levels since buyers have no alternative. Since buyers have the choice to buy natural crops but buy GMO ones instead, it shows at the very least that the GMO ones are worth the cost. That's not a monopoly, that's a good product.
Ironically, the reason that Monsanto has such a monopolistic control over GM seeds is because they are one of the few companies wealthy enough to jump all the hurdles when the FDA or another agency comes to regulate their products. Smaller companies can't even afford to pay for the vast amounts of money that goes into research, development, maintenance, and distribution of the product, especially when the standards are set high by regulatory bodies. Only big entities like Monsanto actually have the financial resources to push their things through.
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;40906427]Welcome to the Free Market. Do business with the right figures, or you fail.[/QUOTE] So it's OK to have a corrupt corporation that controls literally one of the most important industries in the world, which has forced farmers to have no other option, [i]because[/i] there's no other option? Isn't that literally just giving in to what they want?
[QUOTE=Jamsponge;40907702]So it's OK to have a corrupt corporation that controls literally one of the most important industries in the world, which has forced farmers to have no other option, [I]because[/I] there's no other option? Isn't that literally just giving in to what they want?[/QUOTE] You have the option to do whatever farming you wish to do, but for the most part you will not get the same harvests/yield results as you would by farming GMO-Crops. Likewise the few corporations which have a stranglehold on the GMO Market, only have such a stranglehold because no one else competes with them.
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;40907780]You have the option to do whatever farming you wish to do, but for the most part you will not get the same harvests/yield results as you would by farming GMO-Crops. Likewise the few corporations which have a stranglehold on the GMO Market, only have such a stranglehold because no one else competes with them.[/QUOTE] And you don't see that as a bad thing?
I have never heard of Monsanto before last week. It's like this huge deal that literally came out of nowhere.
[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;40907832]I have never heard of Monsanto before last week.[/QUOTE] ...good job?
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;40907780]You have the option to do whatever farming you wish to do, but for the most part you will not get the same harvests/yield results as you would by farming GMO-Crops. Likewise the few corporations which have a stranglehold on the GMO Market, only have such a stranglehold because no one else competes with them.[/QUOTE] have you ever heard the term oligarchy? [editline]5th June 2013[/editline] "Any system of government in which virtually all political power is held by a very small number of wealthy but otherwise unmeritorious people who shape public policy primarily to benefit themselves financially through direct subsidies to their agricultural estates or business firms, lucrative government contracts, and protectionist measures aimed at damaging their economic competitors — while displaying little or no concern for the broader interests of the rest of the citizenry. “Oligarchy” is also used as a collective term to denote all the individual members of the small corrupt ruling group in such a system. The term always has a negative or derogatory connotation in both contemporary and classical usage, in contrast to aristocracy (which sometimes has a derogatory connotation in modern usage, but never in classical)." [editline]5th June 2013[/editline] monsanto is part of the american oligarchy.
[QUOTE=SgtCr4zyGunz;40907806]And you don't see that as a bad thing?[/QUOTE] It's a bad thing yes, but they got there because no one is willing to compete.
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;40908081]It's a bad thing yes, but they got there because no one is willing to compete.[/QUOTE] they got there by buying our government. [editline]5th June 2013[/editline] i shouldn't be barred from competing because i don't have the capital to invest in judges and congressmen.
[QUOTE=Sobotnik;40906518]Ironically, the reason that Monsanto has such a monopolistic control over GM seeds is because they are one of the few companies wealthy enough to jump all the hurdles when the FDA or another agency comes to regulate their products. Smaller companies can't even afford to pay for the vast amounts of money that goes into research, development, maintenance, and distribution of the product, especially when the standards are set high by regulatory bodies. Only big entities like Monsanto actually have the financial resources to push their things through.[/QUOTE] This has more to do with the fact that Monsanto has [URL="http://www.whale.to/b/revolvingdoor65tz.jpg"]a number of people[/URL] in the FDA, EPA, and congress.
[QUOTE=JoeSkylynx;40908081]It's a bad thing yes, but they got there because no one is willing to compete.[/QUOTE] It's a monopoly because it's a monopoly then. Cool argument.
[QUOTE=SigmaLambda;40908388]It's a monopoly because it's a monopoly then. Cool argument.[/QUOTE] It's a monopoly because the current research and manufacturing costs for GMO is pretty fucking high.
[QUOTE=Matthew0505;40908369]Not Monsanto's fault that your government system has no real accountability for corruption.[/QUOTE] it is their fault for taking advantage of that
[QUOTE=Mattk50;40908384]This has more to do with the fact that Monsanto has [URL="http://www.whale.to/b/revolvingdoor65tz.jpg"]a number of people[/URL] in the FDA, EPA, and congress.[/QUOTE] Need someplace to raise initial capital from. [editline]5th June 2013[/editline] [QUOTE=SigmaLambda;40908388]It's a monopoly because it's a monopoly then. Cool argument.[/QUOTE] Wow, it's like I don't understand how markets operate when regulations are set high and the only people able to manage to get past them are large entities with a lot of financial resources.
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