Monsanto versus Farmers: In Brazil, the agribusiness giant has won a $7.7 bn lawsuit

[Judi Lynn]

Farmers worldwide say Monsanto’s policy of charging for every use of its genetically modified seeds violates their planting rights. But judges aren’t so sure.

Yesterday · 11:30 pm
Karine Eliane Peschard, The Conversation

A Brazilian appeals court has decided in favour of Monsanto, the global agribusiness conglomerate, in a landmark class-action lawsuit filed by Brazilian farmers’ unions.

The court’s nine justices unanimously ruled on October 9 that farmers cannot save seeds for replanting if the seeds are harvested from Monsanto’s patented Roundup Ready soybeans, which are genetically engineered to withstand direct application of the company’s Roundup herbicide.

The Brazilian ruling aligns with similar decisions in the US and Canada. Courts in all three countries determined that, as a product of genetic engineering, Roundup Ready soybeans are protected by domestic patent law.

In a public statement, Monsanto – which was acquired by Bayer in 2018 – said the decision will strengthen “agricultural innovation in Brazil”.

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Monsanto ‘owns everything’
The Brazilian lawsuit is a sign of growing uneasiness with the control Monsanto has over farmers, my research on biotechnology and seeds finds.

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