A landless Chilean farmer has won a landmark lawsuit against Monsanto and thus exposed the dangers posed by the transnational corporation to the whole country.
José Pizarro Montoya, a 38-year-old landless farmer from Melipilla (Santiago, Chile), and ex GMO producer (season 2009-2010) is the first and perhaps the only Latin American who has won a lawsuit against Monsanto/ANASAC for breach of contract.
Chilean farmer wins lawsuit against Monsanto and exposes the company at Chilean Government’s GMO seminar
By Lucía Sepúlveda Ruiz
Lucía Sepúlveda Ruiz: periodismo sanador, January 22 2014
periodismosanador.blogspot.com/2014/01/agricultor-chileno-gano-demanda.html
Translation: Ignacia Guzmán Zuloaga
Slightly edited by GMWatch
He tried and failed to break the news at a GMO Seminar which took place on January 22 and was organized by Chilean Agriculture Secretary, Luis Mayol. There, international and national speakers preached about the goodness of GMO crops. Pizarro only wanted to speak out to the audience and share that he did not recommend any farmer to work for Monsanto growing GMO seeds for export, because they could end up ruined as he did, besides damaging the soil.
In Chile there are approximately 30,000 hectares of GMO maize, soy and canola grown for export, marketed by transnational biotech corporations such as Monsanto, Pioneer and its Chilean partners, gathered under ANPROS, Asociación Nacional de Productores de Semillas (National Association of Seed Producers).
Like Sustainable Pulse on Facebook as We Tell the ‘Truth’ Monsanto Wants to Hide
The Yo No Quiero Transgénicos en Chile campaign (I Do Not Want GMOs in Chile) stands for a moratorium against the possible expansion of these crops into domestic markets and also demands a strict supervision of GMO seedbeds.
On September 2013, María Elena Rozas, coordinator for Red de Acción en Plaguicidas(Pesticide Action Network) RAP-Chile, and Lucía Sepúlveda learned about Pizarro´s experience and were able to observe from first hand the results of environmental and commercial malpractices by Monsanto/ANASAC in Chile.
[Rozas said:] “This farmer did not know exactly what he was planting, he had no idea what a GMO seed was; the contract stated a fantasy name, Mon49 maize. He was compelled to an intensive use of more than 10 hazardous pesticides, harmful for health and the environment. The contract he signed forced him to turn only to the Chamber of Commerce in case of disagreement, he could not file lawsuits in local courts. He explained to us that many producers also have had problems with Monsanto, but they don´t turn to the Chamber because it is too expensive.”
The sentence against Monsanto
The trial sentence favorable to Pizarro can be found under roll number 1385-11 and is filed under “Agrícola Pizarro Ltda. con Agrícola Nacional S.A.C”. It was dictated by the Chamber of Commerce´s arbitration judge Francisco Gazmuri Schleyer. The Santiago Court of Appeals confirmed it in September 2013, rejecting the appeal and complaint presented by the corporation (Monsanto).
But during the four following months, the defendant refused to comply with the ruling. This is why the farmer didn´t let his case be known sooner. Only at the end of December 2013 did Pizarro receive the CLP$37 million that the Chamber ordered Monsanto to pay. According to Pizarro, this amount is not enough to cover the damages suffered. SAG’s (Servicio Agrícola y Gandero, Chilean Agency for Farming and Cattle Service) Form of GMO Seedbeds attached to the lawsuit, identifies the certification application form under ANASAC Chile (Monsanto). These forms are put under questioning by Pizarro, who accuses SAG´s complicity with the corporation.
During the process, expert testimony by INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, National Institute for Agrarian and Food Technology) was decisive. Agrarian Engineer Gabriel Saavedra del Real presented INIA´s expert opinion regarding what had occured. Levi Manzur’s appearance [in court] was a key piece of the Pizarro case. Manzur is professor at Valparaiso Catholic University and a prominent geneticist from Los Ande. Manzur´s conclusions went in the same direction as the claims made by the plaintiff.
Millions in losses
Pizarro lost his house, his crop spraying machine, a tractor, and his pick-up truck. His wife left him and he had nothing to restart with. He was in debt to Banco Santander, a local bank, to the tune of CLP$90 million after growing Monsanto´s GMO maize in Melipilla for ANASAC.
María Elena Rozas comments: “What happened to this farmer may be an example for hundreds of small farmers, seduced by big earnings and fair treatment promises by corporations which export GMO seeds. But the profit is real only at the beginning. The great majority of the defrauded do not report and make themselves dependent on what the corporation offers, which becomes less every day. And there are not many alternatives for farmers, due to the lack of rural public policies or incentives that effectively favor agroecologic production. We must change this.”
Pizarro comes from a family of farmers from Los Andes (Valparaiso Region), and he worked alongside his brother as a horticulturist. In order to breed GMOs for ANASAC (Monsanto), he leased 33,07 hectares in Melipilla, which are part of the Rumay estate, belonging to a well known entrepeneur, Manuel Ariztía (from the chicken industry, Pollos Ariztía). The GMO “great agribusiness” has been practically the end of Pizarro´s life as a farmer.
He explains: “I am now a scholar of GMOs, I am learning through the internet, and I have found out about Monsanto and its criminal background.” When he realized what had happened to him, he went to the Agrupación Ecologista de Aconcagua (Aconcagua´s Environmental Goup), organization which is part of our Yo No Quiero Transgénicos en Chile campaign, thus establishing contact with RAP-AL Chile in order to make his case public and report Monsanto.
Today, José Pizarro is on the transnational’s blacklist, and at the same time, he believes that Monsanto has entered the category of a corrupt, abusive and predatory corporation. “I was shocked the first time I saw there were dead mice on the roadside, after they ate the maize´s grains”, he reports.
Wrong sowing indications
Over two previous seasons, Pizarro had obtained great profit with the GMO maize and the corporation considered him an exellent producer. Never before did he ask himself what environmental or commercial risks could result from dealing with Monsanto. “In 2009, they wanted to make an experiment with me I guess. We were 12 farmers who were sowing that particular kind of maize in Chile and only two of us were told to sow rows of females (of GMO maize seed) and males (of hybrid seeds) on a proportion of 4:1; the other producers sowed in proportion 4:2.
“SAG was in charge of monitoring, and in my opinion, is an accomplice of the corporation, because on their reports they stated that I had sowed 4:2, which anyone could see that was not the case. According to their reports, it seemed that I had sowed under the same instructions as the other producers. But no, I sowed “blindly”, I did what the corporation ordered me to do, I didn´t even notice what the SAG certificator was writing down because the contract forced me to strictly follow the company´s instructions.”
Burn down your neighbor´s corn
SAG instructions include making sure that there is no native maize around, because the non-GM maize could contaminate the GMO nursery crop and affect its multiplication. SAG watches over and makes sure the GMO crop is unharmed, but, on the contrary, the conventional producer does not get any protection from anyone.
Following Monsanto´s recommendations, Pizarro asked a neighbour who had planted maize to take it out. But the man was elderly, and did not comply because he wanted to have his own corn for cooking homemade humitas (a typical Chilean dish) that summer. The producer informed the company and the agronomist Francisco Araya Vargas ordered him to just “Spray some Roundup!” (the herbicide that kills any plant that is not GMO). Pizarro chose to cut off his neighbor´s maize spikes at night in order to avoid pollen production and therefore, multiplication. He looked embarassed when telling this story.
Trial costs
Rodrigo Malagüeño, ANASAC Chile/Monsanto CEO assured in the trial that none of their maize seed multiplier producers had ever sued the company before. In general, only big corporations can go under arbitration through the Chamber of Commerce. Pizarro, who was not willing to go bankrupt in silence, took a chance. “First I had to pay CLP$700.000 to be able to get served and then CLP$4.400.000 to fund the judge. I placed a lawsuit for CLP$218.000.000 and the judge finally ruled in my favour, but I only got CLP$37.000.000, which is far less than what I have lost.”
Pizarro explains: “I did not get proper instructions for sowing and therefore production was low and so was the sale price. The price is calculated on the basis of production of the maize itself by other seed multipliers of the Maule region, but their instructions were different from the instructions given to me and that is why their production was way higher than mine. I produced 106.780 kg of maize, but only 38.509 kg amounted to the real production, selected according to Monsanto´s required standards in the Lo Espejo processsing plant.”
.
The recruitment of rural producers
Monsanto searched for Pizarro in 2008. Company employees arrived on the land where he grew vegetables in Melipilla and told him they had found him through satellite because the place was ideal for GMO maize cultivation since there was no other conventional maize nearby. The first year (2008) they gave him the GMO seed and the Roundup for free. Pizarro only had to purchase fertilizer and insecticides. They even paid for the land´s lease. He only had to take care of the crop. They offered to pay him CLP$3 million per hectare. In 2009 they also gave him the seed “but I purchased the poison. I spent two days sowing and although I had machines, the company forced me to sow using theirs, which were brand new, and that was an enormous expense,” the rural producer explains.
That same year, Monsanto bought the soy and maize division of ANASAC. All producers received a note telling them that from now on, they had to follow ANASAC Chile’s instructions, meaning Monsanto´s, the new owner. But oddly, for commercial and legal purposes, Pizarro had to deal with ANASAC SA, of which the CEO is Rodrigo Malagüeño, a strategy in order not to appear publicly in the complaint.
Breach of contract
The arbitration of the Chamber of Commerce established that ANASAC/Monsanto failed to comply with its obligation “which consists in providing services of technical supervision of the sowing in a dilligent manner and giving strict compliance to the manufacturer´s instructions for Monsanto´s seed”, incurring negligent breach of contract. The Santiago Court of Appeals confirmed this ruling and there are no more instances of this type of arbitration. The Court of Appeal´s sentence, signed by Pilar Aguayo, Carlos Carrillo and the member lawyer Claudia Schmat, also sentenced ANASAC to pay the appeal fees.
José Pizarro concludes: “I just don´t want other farmers to go through what I did. I will never again sow GMOs.”
(4 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
Is there any way to transmit ‘thanks’ to this stubborn farmer? We need thousands and thousands more like him.
Hi Ruth,
We will transmit your thanks directly to Mr Montoya for you.
Sustainable Pulse Team
this needs to be transmitted to CNN, NBC, ABC all of the major news networks! Monsanto has been poisoning all of us and yet there has been no major campaign or news story to follow their murderous actions. Thank God this man had the courage and tenacity to stand up to the bully!
I’m from Chile, and loved the fact that a lowly Chilean farmer has started the ball rolling to exposing Monsanto for what it really is. I have posted this article to fb so it should get some exposure, and hopefully some momentum.
Vera, this is why & many others never watch mainstream media.
They are owned by the EVIL CORPS & will never relay what’s really going on because it’s either hidden, or they fear losing their jobs.
It’s rare to find any ethical journalists these days.
We watch alternative media.
Could not agree more.
I agree
Ditto!
I’m with you. He needs to know that his message is getting out, and how much we admire and appreciate his bravery and determination to let it be known what they are.
Respect, admiration and big thanks to Jose Montoya.
please thank him from me too
Transmit my thanks too and keep up the good fight.
And thank him for me. Hopefully, there are others such as he who can eventually defeat GMO COMPANIES SUCH AS MONSANTO.
The world owes you a debt of gratitude, Mr Montoya. Thank you. Let’s keep on doing it!
Am horrified by the mistreatment of José!! My condolences to him for all his loss. May he be consoled that he is doing God’s work here on earth and be compensated justly. This article needs to get into all newspapers globally!! May this be the beginning of a movement to stop GMO company crime.
It is a shame that Monsanto is even allowed to stay in business. They will find a way around this with others who have no clue. Our grocery stores should stop funding them. How do you stop an out of control / high power freight train?
You shut off the fuel. Which in Monsanto’s case is $$. Stop buying the products of GMO production. Demand that your grocer seek out GMO free certified products. It will take time, but we can shut down the fuel, especially if we start talking to everyone we know about what is going on. That is the main way Monsanto gets away with so much, by preventing the information from becoming public. The major networks and news organizations will not publish or investicate this type of information. Both coercion with and threat of litigation from Monsanto are in place.
I agree. People need to stop buying fresh or packaged foods with gmo ingredients. And people need to petition that their grocery stores not carry food with gmo ingredients. One problem in the United States is that gm ingredients are not labeled. The only way to know for certain that food does not contain gmo’s is to buy food that is labeled “certified USDA organic”. These foods cost more because the farmers have to pay to have the food certified as organic. It is an unfair practice in the US that favors gmo producers and puts organic food growers at a disadvantage in grocery stores.
The biggest problem, though, is that the majority of gm corn is sold to owners of CAFO’s (confined animal factory operations). The CAFO owner owns the animals (pigs or cows or chickens or turkeys) and provides the seed to a farmer who builds a building to grow them in. The farmer supervises the raising of the confined animals, but does not own them. The CAFO owners get a US government subsidy to pay for the gm corn, so it is very cheap for them to raise thousands of animals this way. As long as the US government subsidizes gm corn for confined animal factory operations, there will be a huge market for the gm corn. We need to induce the US government to stop subsidizing gm corn, but that would be nearly impossible. The US government and Monsanto are hand in hand. They are best friends. The US government supports Monsanto in every way. The TPP (Transpacific Trade Pact) –if that passes—will make it much more difficult for any farmer or country to sue Monsanto or put any limits on what it is able to do. We need to put public attention on the unethical practices of Monsanto and of the unhealthy effects of gm food products on animals and humans. We can hope that people will stop growing them and buying them. There is a best hope.
I’ve been racking stories of Monsanto’s business model for several years. I see nothing out of the ordinary in the way they treated him. They treat everyone in the world that way. Dirty tricks and anything to get the bucks. Farmers always end up paying.
He has just made history! What a wonderful man.
He has been treated so unfairly and his losses sre many. But he gained much.
Thank you for what you have done. God bless you.
Yesterday I was at the international seminar on transgenic crops that organized the government of Chile, and in the middle of the day this farmer began to shout loudly saying he had won a judgment against Monsanto (cause in the public were executives of several companies of GM seeds – including Monsanto)… I spoke with known people of agricultural area, and they told me it was a problem caused because this man did not plant the seeds according to the contract signed with the ANASAC company (4:2); but the problem apparently was in the contract itself, cause had differences with the contract rules that normally this company delivers to the customers – and there were a sign that apparently was not from the farmer in the documents linked to the “agricultural and livestock service” SAG (governmental institution regulating the agricultural area). That allowed him to pursue legal action …. Monsanto enters in this story, cause after this problem, they bought the factories bought of soy and corn from ANASAC company – the farmer planted corn. And you know, “Monsansto´s” name promote fear.
At the moment, everybody in the anti-GMO movement says that he won, but there is no official information to be checked. Anyway, this got viral on the internet since yesterday. Lucía Sepúlveda (the person who wrote this) is a journalist that is against GMO and promotes fear.
Daniel N
You are nothing but an apologist for Monsanto and it’s cronies. What this man did is a great victory for humanity.
May this be the first of many victories against these monstrous corporations who put profit before anything else. They bribe politicians and regulators and use any tactic to get their way.
You probably are on Monsanto’s payroll.
Enjoy eating lots of the GMO crops and see the consequences in the future. The money you receive now will not buy your health back. Good Luck.
The farmer had a contract to produce SEED, not corn grain for food and human consumption. Producing hybrid seed (GMO or not) requires hight standards of QC. This in turn, uses more pesticides than growing corn for food. The number of acres to produce hybrid seed is infinitesimal compared with the number of acres planted with corn for animal/human consumption. It looks like that in this case the farmer did not follow the strict protocol.
In general, growing seed (GMO or not) is a very profitable business for the farmer.
I have nothing to do with big business or Monsanto in particular, but the facts are the facts.
The treatment that Mr. Montoya received is exactly the same as the treatment being given to farmers in every country where Monsanto and the other GMO companies have paid off government officials and Chambers of Commerce to enforce their practices. The inability to be able to afford the high cost of legal action against the GMO companies is one of the primary reasons for the reported increasing suicides by poorer farmers having smaller fans that have been completely bankrupted after a few years of planting GMOs. Without regard to the safety of GMO crops, the human toll and economic costs that being controlled by the GMO companies has brought to the people is irrelevant to the execs of the GMO companies, as long as they are able to force total control of the crops that are planted, along with increased usage of their killer herbicides and pesticides, generating more profits.
Small typo in my original post. Should be “farmers having smaller farms” not “farmers having smaller fans”, which makes no sense at all.
Please thank this courageous farmer from me as well. Good for him, we need many more like him. I am proud of him !!
You are a brave man Mr. Montoya! Out of ashes rises the PHOENIX. Be vigilant. God Bless You!
I despise gmos and Monsanto as much as the next (informed) guy, but what I found most interesting is that this once supporter of gmos cut his neighbor’s non-gmo corn, after they supposedly advised him to spray herbicide to ruin the non-gmo plant.. so I guess that’s nice he didn’t drown the old man’s garden? but still he destroyed an innocent person’s crop and although the money he won isn’t even enough to cover his own losses, I hope he gives some of it to the guy who he screwed over before he “saw the light”
Let us not forget the absolute desperation that this man was feeling and the pressure that he was under.
Let’s salute Mr. Montoya bravery and tenacity by starting a fund to allow him to help other farmers seduced by Monsanto’s and it’s cronies false promises.
He could help fund more legal challenges, stand up as a beacon of hope and hire personal security to keep him safe from the thugs that these companies use to promote their interests
radio.uchile.cl/2014/01/22/los-agricultores-que-le-ganaron-a-monsanto
Highlights:
– “The istructions given to me by writing by ANASAC on that moment were that I had to sow four rows of females for one row of males. At the end of the harvest I had very few seeds because there were no pollen coincidences with the females, because it had to be done 4:2. In order to prove all this I had to sue them in the Chamber of Commerce”
– I lst my house, my car, I lost everything. The investigation went on for three years, paying for lawyers, paying the Chamber of Commerce. It is very expensive, there are many farmers under my same situation, but none persued, only me. What enrages me the most about the corporation is that they forged my signature in my salary settlement
– Anasac and Monsanto, not happy with the judge´s ruling, sued him in the Court of Appeals for a retraction and an anulment of payment, which was denied by the Court. They once again circunvent the contract, but as they could not sue me, they sued the juge
It’s a shame that here in Chile this case has been ignored and people from other places on earth are better informed. I will do my best to inform this to my friends.
Don’t forget Percy Schmeiser of Saskatchewan, Canada. We have two world class leaders in the fight against GMO’s now.
We need have these two leaders get together
“The farmer who beat Monsanto”
articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/12/25/percy-schmeiser-farmer-who-beat-monsanto.aspx
Thank you to all farmers who strive to grow us healthy food – healthy for us and healthy for the planet and all its inhabitants. I admire this man’s bravery and wish very much that he could have land to do it right.
It takes someone with the heart and conscience and ethics to start a revolution. We need more people like this brave farmer. Thank you to him.
Thanks for sharing. A victory story is wonderful to read after so many horror stories over the years. I am sure the corporation is hard at work discrediting this poor farmer. So I will share amongst my networks in Australia.
This case needs to be documented and spread internationally! If only farmers and eventually, countries across the globe could stand up and fight the tyranny of Monsanto! We’re suffering in America, most of our food is tainted. We’re swimming in GMO’s and pesticides. Our water supplies are suffering from run-off and the public is dumbed down by media designed to distract us from what’s happening in our backyard. Companies like Monsanto are poisoning us. Farmers are bullied by these tyrants, forced into allegiance; Often targeted by the likes of the FBI if they refuse to comply with the death seed manifesto. The States are too far gone at this point. But, it isn’t too late for the rest of the world to take a stand within their own borders. Hopefully Nations will start to pay attention and fight back before they suffer the same fate as the States.
I wish I would have read more about the risks associated with planting gmo seeds than just the risks of doing business with Monsanto. For whatever reason atleast it’s bad publicity against Monsanto & gmo’s but have to wonder if this farmer would have said anything at all if he wasn’t so pissed off about “the money & politics!”
everyone’s comments are great – the man needs cash to cover his debt – he did an amazing thing and has suffered for it – let’s start a fund for him and help him and his fellow farmers deal with Monsanto. It is easy to say great job, keep up the good work, we appreciate you – show him – how can we help him financially?
Thank you Mr Montoya for your sacrifice and perseverance. It would be nice to make some kind of fund/organization for those who have an ongoing legal case with Monsanto. We should support our farmers, especially those who are striving to do the right thing.
It is very comforting that more individual farmers and governments are beginning to view the effects of GMO crops. Monsanto has become a dangerous company in the field of crop growth manipulation. What its intent appears to be a method of poisoning the people throughout the world. I applaud this farmer and all those other farmers and countries that have refused GMO seeds and products. I also applaud China and the fact they have refused acceptance of Monsanto products. The same for all the other nations who are doing the same. It’s a shame we have a government intent on causing the demise of our people in so many ways that also include GMO seeds and products made from these seeds. The fact that they don’t want food labels marked with the fact that the products contain GMO ingredients and they want us to use those products and infect us with the foods that GMO’s have contaminated. Because of the size of Monsanto some governments are bought such as our own. It’s up to the people, us, to continue to push for the labeling of products. We then can avoid those products, which would lose business or change their purchase and preparation practices. The sooner we bring down those companies such as Monsanto the sooner our foods will be cleansed of this garbage.
awte
I give a major thank you to Mr. Montoya and any/or all others who have defied Monsanto and gone on to win their causes. Monsanto and all those who use the products produced by this corporation should be shut down and take away their economic power they believe will expand their poisonous seeds. I also am pleased that so many countries are doing the same. The more that do the less Monsanto’s hold on the agricultural markets will occur. The bigger they get the easier it is to topple them. That goes for those other companies that use the contaminated products in their own products. The sooner we can fully determine those products by forcing the food companies to label their products with GMO lables the sooner we can cause them to stop using them by not purchasing them. They can’t afford to and can’t afford not to as well. We have to be the catalyst in forcing this to happen. It’s our lives that depend on it; yours and mine.
Thank you for all that you have done Monsanto needs to be stopped… Thank you again
What a brave man Montoya!
Monsanto has been doing this to so many people. These stories need to be seen by everyone in the world.
Is there some way to get this into the media of as many countries as possible?
permaculturenews.org/2013/04/22/stunning-difference-of-gm-from-non-gm-corn/
Thank you.
This is truly a brave and admirable farmer. Thanks for sharing your story and awakening the word to this evil and powerful corporation. You are a good person and for your welfare.
Please pass on my thanks also. Monsanto needs to be a good corporate citizen and the more they are exposed, the closer that day will com.
There are several comments about starting a fund for this brave man. Has anything been set up? I would like to contribute. If not please could sustainable pulse send me contact details?
What’s the problem with GMOs in our food? An inspiring line-up of food movement leaders will discuss genetically engineered foods and their impact on our health and the environment in a series of in-depth discussions airing next week.
GMOs: What You Need to Know virtual conference streams live for FREE January 27-30
Pamm Larry will speak about “Igniting the GMO Labeling Movement in California” on Tuesday Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET.
Also check out:
Michele Simon on “Dirty Tricks and the $45M Campaign to Beat Prop 37” on Wednesday Jan. 29 at 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET — and Trudy Bialic on “The Inside Story of Washington’s I-522 Campaign” on Wednesday Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. PT / 7 p.m. ET.
Plus 17 other interviews with leading scientists, farmers, medical doctors, business leaders, environmental and social justice advocates to learn the facts about the genetic engineering of plants and animals and how to make healthy choices for your family.
What: GMOs: What You Need to Know Virtual Conference
Dates: January 27 – 30, 2014
Price: FREE
Where: Sign up online at
www.entheos.com/GMOs-What-You-Need-to-Know/Pamm-Larry
Pamm Larry, LabelGMOs
www.labelgmos.org/
LabelGMOs California’s Grassroots
Thank you for standing up! We the people will make a difference and have the right to non GMO food choices!
LEO YOUNGER. ..thank you for the information! I have signed up and posted it on facebook as well.
I have started to take action and put my words into action. On a small scale in my own community by sharing information and ways people can grow food for themselves on a personal garden scale with non gmo seeds. Even in their windows if needed be.
I am grateful that you added the link to the free ticket! I am one who listened! 🙂 annie
Thanks and condolences are lovely, but this guy lost everything! Even winning against Monsanto didn’t come close to covering losses. Is there a way to set up a fund for him to try and help him recoup some of his losses?
Congratulations and commiseration’s to Jose Montoya, who in winning has suffered a terrible personal injustice at the hands of Monsanto.
Being from Argentina, I am horrified at the damage resulting from the introduction of GM crops in South America. It is so sad that the policy makers are so eager to take kickbacks that they are willing to poison their countries and population with no regard for the problems this is causing now and the massive increase in problems we will see in the future.
This blind rush to GM crops is also causing major issues in Australia, with GM crops contaminating organic farmers crops. There is currently a case before the courts in W.A.
Monsanto and their cronies are some of the worst corporate bodies to blight the face of this planet.
Thank him for his courage and care about others!
congratulations to Sr. Montoya on his victory over Goliath. This is what it will take to break Big-Ag’s chokehold: individuals, standing up for the environment and their rights, working in solidarity.
Farmers here are going to learn the hard way, us horse people won’t feed that Alfalfa. Thank you, and I’m so sorry for all the lose you’ve experienced.
I salute Sr. Montoya from the bottom of my heart. I wish farmers the world over could band together and stop monstrosities like Monsanto from being able to do business. Please give this brave soul my regards for standing up to the giant.
The problem will never go away. Fantastic achievement by Montoya to stand up and fight not for himself but all.
What we need here in Chile is complete transparency on GMO´s that are already in the food chain, where they are, ie supermarkets, suppliers, garden centres and all others connected.
Does a list exist of these suppliers and what products are affected
I read his story. The fact Monsanto uses a satellite to choose farms in other countries is creepy.
He had spunk, the same spunk a few Canadian wheat farmers showed before soy became the first crop. It resulted in Monsanto not growing wheat in Canada. So, soy was number 1, likely in Argentina infested now with superweeds.
I have even read farmers are spied on by Monsanto strong men. A lawyer told a corn famer in USA to erect DO NOT TRESPASS signs on sides of his farm.