When the Supreme Court ruled recently that Monsanto had the legal right to stop farmers from saving seeds from patented genetically modified crops one season and planting them the following season, it came as a blow to both struggling farmers and the very core traditions of agriculture itself.
The ruling meant that if farmers now engage in the age-old practice of seed-saving with one of these GM crops (often unintentionally when the wind brings GM pollen to their fields) they can now be sued by the Biotech giant.
According to Thomas Cluderay, who is General Counsel to The Environmental Working Group, “The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling tightens the seed giant’s stranglehold on American agriculture. It will no doubt pave the way for greater use and development of genetically engineered seed products and use of toxic pesticides such as Roundup, on our farm fields. This is yet another reason why we need clear labeling of genetically engineered foods so that consumers can make better choices when buying food for themselves and their families.”