14/October/20

 

Percy Schmeiser, the Canadian farmer whose name became synonymous with the legal fight against patent rights centred around Monsanto's genetically modified canola, has died. John Schmeiser told CBC his father died Tuesday at the age of 89. Schmeiser had Parkinson's disease. CBC News

 

 

Percy Schmeiser is the Saskatchewan farmer who went up against Monsanto, battling all the way to the Supreme Court. He is regarded as a hero to farmers and environmentalists around the world. In the late 1990s, in Bruno, Sask., Schmeiser and Monsanto entered into a lengthy legal battle over herbicide-tolerant canola seeds. Monsanto told Schmeiser that he couldn’t use their GMO canola seeds without paying for a license to do so; Schmeiser never bought or asked for Monsanto’s canola seeds, claiming some blew onto his land from another farmer’s field. Monsanto said pay up. Schmeiser said no. The fight was on. "Percy", a new film directed by Clark Johnson and starring Christopher Walken as Schmeiser, opened in theatres last Friday in major cities across Canada. Toronto Sun

 

 

Navdanya's report on the Gates Foundation's attempts to take over food, agriculture, knowledge and global health systems, along with a synthesis document, are available for free download at this link. GMWatch contributed a section on the dangers of gene editing. Navdanya International