Farmers Sue Monsanto

Farmers Sue Monsanto

WASHINGTON--Six European farmers are suing Monsanto Co. in United StatesDistrict Court on claims that the company skipped safety tests in its rush tobring genetically engineered seeds into the marketplace. The lawsuit, handled bya cadre of powerful environmental and antitrust lawyers, also accused Monsantoof conspiring to control the corn and soybean seed market. Five farmers inIndiana and Iowa and one in France are listed as plaintiffs in the suit, butlawyers for the coalition say the lawsuit was filed on behalf of all farmers whohave bought modified seed. The National Farm Coalition, a group that opposesbiotechnology, helped develop the suit.

Patrick de Kochko, an organic farmer in southwest France, said the lawyerswho filed the antitrust suit asked him to join as a plaintiff because of legalproblems over his 1996 soybean crop. According to De Kochko, a unit of Monsantosold him soybean seeds containing GM material, which then contaminated his cropand made it difficult for him to market his soybeans. "I'm just a modestpeasant...[but] the principle that disturbs me is that people create thesethings which then escape into the environment and then they don't care whathappens to them," De Kochko said. The suit charges that Monsanto is theleader of an international conspiracy to control the majority of the world'sseed supply. The plaintiffs also contend that Monsanto began selling its seedwithout determining if it was safe for consumers and the environment. Also namedin the court case as alleged co-conspirators were Novartis AG, DuPont Co., DowChemical Co. and AstraZeneca Plc. Lawyers for the farmers said the companieswere not formally charged as defendants in the case, but could be added to thelawsuit in the future.