From: http://www.percyschmeiser.com/
Quote: "In my case, I never had anything to do with Monsanto, outside of
buying chemicals. I never signed a contract. If I would go to St. Louis and
contaminate their plots--destroy what they have worked on for 40 years--I
think I would be put in jail and the key thrown away,"
Percy Schmeiser, June 19, 2000
----------
Your Support is Needed
If you believe in this important cause, your assistance would be greatly
appreciated.
To make a donation please send a check or money order to:
"Fight Genetically Altered Food Fund Inc."
CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce)
603 Main St. Humboldt SK Canada SOK 2AO
Phone No. (306) 682-2614
----------forwarded message----------
From: "Mary La France" <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Sun, 1 Apr 2001
Subject: MONSANTO VS. SCHMEISER: Percy Schmeiser Must Raise $50,000 Canadian
to Appeal Case
TO ALL GENETIC ENGINEERING ACTIVISTS
Folks, this affects everyone.
This is about food imperialism.
This is an infringement on our rights . . .
. . . rights for food safety, the right to farm,
the right to property.
The right to know what's in our food!
The Canadian judge just ruled in favor of Monsanto against Percy Schmeiser.
Monsanto claims that he was illegally growing genetically engineered canola
without paying Monsanto a fee to use their seed.
This will begin to happen in the US too, because the door has now been
opened to allow biotech companies to sieze property from farmers, whether or
not genetically-altered crops are a result of pollen drift.
Percy Schmeiser urgently needs our support. We are calling on everyone in to
help him file for an appeal.
Forwarded by MIRAGE (Michigan Resistance Against Genetic Engineering)
Contact: Mary LaFrance (734) 282-6935 [log in to unmask]
or Peggy Malnati (248) 661-463
-----Original Message-----
From: Peggy Malnati [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2001 11:46 PM
Subject: Percy Schmeiser Must Raise $50,000 Canadian to Appeal Case
I just got off the phone with Percy Schmeiser, the 70-yr-old canola farmer
from Saskatchewan who went to battle against Monsanto for contaminating his
fields with genetically altered canola plants. As those of you on my lists
now know, the judge in this landmark case ruled against him this past
Thursday. Background on the case can be found at Percy's website:
www.percyschmeiser.com
There are many curious details about and disturbing implications to this new
ruling, including
o the fact that a farmer is suppose to know if and when his fields have
become contaminated with pollen from genetically engineered (GE) plants and
is then not suppose to plant this seed (even if it's from his own seedstock,
a product of 50 years' careful selective breeding);
o that if the GE plants from one company cross with Monsanto's GE plants,
that Monsanto owns the new hybrid plants, not both companies;
o that if Monsanto's GE plants cross with and contaminate non-GE plants,
Monsanto also owns the new cross;
o that even though Percy had bred his own seed for 50 years, the fact
that it had become "genetically polluted" with Monsanto's Round-up-Ready
products means that Monsanto now owns his seed stock too;
o that even though not all of his crop was contaminated and many of his
fields had no genetic contamination at all, Percy must hand over the ENTIRE
PROFIT for all his fields for the calendar year 1998;
o and it would seem that even though Monsanto has been publicly spreading
misinformation about Percy and this case, and privately telling people that
they were going to "get Percy," Monsanto is now entitled to damages.
The judge in this case has postponed rendering his decision 5 times prior to
handing down his decision this past Thursday. Oddly enough, this same
justice announced that he was stepping down from the bench last October, but
is apparently still rendering decisions including this landmark case.
Percy must decide within a short period of time if he can afford to file an
appeal for this case, which has already cost him $200,000 Canadian -- most
of his and his wife's retirement fund. His lawyers say it will cost him
another $50,000 Canadian just to appeal. Percy doesn't have the $50,000 and
if he doesn't appeal and get the decision reversed, he will have to pay
Monsanto several-hundred-thousand-dollars Canadian for damages in this case,
which will not only wipe out his and his wife's entire life's savings, but
bankrupt him in the process.
If you feel as strongly as I do about the dangers of releasing genetically
engineered products into the environment without testing and without any
care as to what they do there; if you feel as strongly as I do about the
threat that corporate bullying of farmers and other citizens means to a free
society; if you're as sick and tired as I am of watching corporations buy
government favor and waltz in and out of key cabinet positions; and if you
just feel as I do that Percy Schmeiser has been given a raw deal -- both by
Monsanto and by the Federal Court in Ottawa -- then may I please ask you to
call or write him and tell him you support what he's doing? May I also ask
those of you with the ability to please consider making a donation in any
amount to the trust that has been set up to take donations to cover his
court costs? Your pledge now could make the difference in whether or not
Percy can appeal this outrageously unfair decision. Whether you realize it
or not, Percy is fighting for all of us, and the outcome of his case will
have profound implications on many other cases on this matter that are
currently pending in various courts in the world.
If you believe in this important cause, your assistance would be greatly
appreciated. To make a donation please send a check or money order to:
"Fight Genetically Altered Food Fund Inc."
CIBC (Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce)
603 Main St. Humboldt SK Canada SOK 2AO
Phone No. (306) 682-2614
In the quest of health and environmental sanity,
Peggy Malnati
Master Gardener
Organic Gardener
Activist
----------forwarded message----------
From: [log in to unmask]
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001
To: "Ericka" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Farmer loses against Monsanto/website & contact info
Dear Ericka,
Website and email addresses (sent from a friend in Canada) for those who
want more info on this case and want to support or protest. Please forward.
Kelley
Here are Canada's list of addresses:
Prime Minister Cretien <[log in to unmask]>
Health Minister Allen Rock <[log in to unmask]>
Enviroment Minister David Anderson <[log in to unmask]>
Minister of Agriculture Lyle Vanclief <[log in to unmask]>
Email and phone # of every member of parliament:
http://www.caps.20m.com/mps.htm
At the Percy Schmeiser website http://www.percyschmeiser.com/
there is one e-mail address <[log in to unmask]>.
Canadian Biotechnology Advisory Committee
Web Site http://www.cbac-cccb.ca
E-mail: <[log in to unmask]>
BMCC members include the Ministers of Agriculture and Agri-Food,
Environment, Fisheries & Oceans, Foreign Affairs & International
Trade, Health, Industry and Natural Resources.
Minister of agriculture <[log in to unmask]>
----------forwarded message----------
From: [log in to unmask]
Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: link to the percy - monsanto decision
http://www.fct-cf.gc.ca/bulletins/whatsnew/whatsnew_e.shtml
The federal court's decision on the Schmeiser - Monsanto case is
highly interesting reading, especially Monsanto's original claim
mentioning " use of any and all quantity of the patented seeds",
and paragraphs 93-96 and 116-118. Imo this supports strongly the
call for 0% contamination of sowing seeds and farmers should ask
Monsatan et al. to remove any patented GE varieties from saved or
bought sowing seed even before planting in order not to infringe
patent rights.
wytze
----------
POSTED BY;
----------
Ericka Dana
OCIA Certified Organic Produce
Catnip Farm, Iowa County
(319) 685-4270 <[log in to unmask]>
Mail Order: Box 72, Victor, IA 52347
http://www.catnipfarm.com
http://www.localharvest.org/listing.jsp?id=87&hit=1
Sierra Club Iowa Chapter Executive Committee
http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/ia/
Managing Editor, Iowa City Area Sierra Club News
Iowa City Area Sierra Club Executive Committee
http://www.sierraclub.org/chapters/ia/icag/
Iowa Green Party Agriculture Committee
Organic Consumers Association Regional Coordinator
http://www.purefood.org
Director, Midwest Anti-Drift Coalition
http://www.IowaFarmer.com/000617/drift2.htm
http://www.StopDrift.org (under construction)
----------
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
To get off the IOWA-TOPICS list, send any message to:
[log in to unmask]
|
