Today, a Federal Court has ruled against farmer Percy Schmeiser of Bruno Saskatchewan, for violating Monsanto's patent right(1). This ruling comes at a time when European consumers are refusing Canadian honey and as our beekeepers become worried about their bees pollinating genetically modified crops(2). Percy Schmeiser has always contended that Monsanto's canola seeds contaminated his crop by blowing from neighboring fields. However, Justice Andrew MacKay ruled that even if the canola did blow onto Mr. Schmeiser's field, he was not entitled to reuse it without the permission of Monsanto. Schmeiser expressed his outrage to the court's ruling by saying

"I've lost 50 years of work because of a company's genetically altered seed getting into my canola, destroying what I've worked for, destroying my property and getting sued(3)."

On the other hand, Trish Jordan, a Monsanto spokeswoman, has stated that

"this case has always been about the protection of intellectual property rights."

So this judgement affirms the subordination of the natural right to labour on our own land to the manufactured intellectual property right. And as we progress towards a stronger globalization of our economies, so I acquire the understanding that our justice system becomes global and manufactured.

References/endnotes

Relevant political and economics articles http://www.ftlcomm.com/ensign

1. Farmer reaps fines in fight over canola, Les Perreaux, National Post, with files from The StarPhoenix, March 30, 2001 http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010330/516915.html

2. Europeans refusing Cdn honey because of GMOs, CBC Canada, March 30, 2001 http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/03/30/Consumers/bees_gmo010330

3. Sask. farmer loses to biotech company, CBC Canada, March 30, 2001 http://cbc.ca/cgi-bin/templates/view.cgi?/news/2001/03/29/monsanto_schmeiser010329