Farmers File Suit Against Monsanto and Biotech Crops

December 15, 1999

Six farmers opposed to genetically engineered crops filed suit this week in federal district court in Washington, DC, alleging that Monsanto Co. and other firms conspired to take over the seed trade and pushed biotech crops to market without adequate environmental and health testing. Monsanto calls the suit "absolutely baseless." Grower intentions to plant biotech crops next year are "on track" compared to intentions a year ago for the 1999 planting season, the company says.

REUTERS says Jeremy Rifkin, anti-biotech activist, recruited a team of nine law firms to handle the suit. Rifkin wants to "refocus the global debate" over genetic engineering to "corporate abuse of power" by the companies that developed the crops, the REUTERS article says.

David Snively, assistant general counsel for Monsanto, said, "We're confident this suit will be dismissed. This action is another in a series of unsuccessful attempts by veteran antagonists to stop a technology with the potential to improve our environment, increase food production and improve health."

Monsanto also released the results of a survey of more than 2,000 farmers. Ninety-seven percent of soybean growers who planted Roundup Ready soybeans in 1999 were very or somewhat satisfied with the results, according to another survey of nearly 900 growers. Both studies were conducted by Marketing Horizons during and after harvest.

Ninety-two percent of growers surveyed who planted Roundup Ready corn said they were very or somewhat satisfied with improved crops and trait performance; 83% of YieldGard corn growers said they were very or somewhat satisfied with the corp performance; 79% of growers planting Bollgard cotton indicated they were very or somewhat satisfied, according to Monsanto.

"Until the seeds are in the ground, it is hard to speculate what the market might look like," said Brett Begemann, Monsanto vice president, U.S. markets. "But we are already seeing solid evidence from surveys and grain trader announcements that indicate to us that the biotech growth trend will continue."