Maine farmers return to Monsanto case
Four Maine farmers will argue their case against agriculture and biotechnology giant Monsanto today in a federal court in Washington, D.C., according to the Bangor Daily News.
In November, the Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association, based in Washington, Maine, was granted another chance to make its case against patents Monsanto holds on certainly genetically modified crops.
The hearing scheduled for today in the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington is the result of a March appeal that the organic growers group filed after a federal judge threw out the complaint.
The lawsuit brought forward by the Maine-based organization also seeks protection for farmers against possible patent infringement lawsuits from Monsanto.
The Maine-based association represents approximately 25% of all certified organic farms in the U.S. and Canada, according to Jim Gerritsen, association president and Bridgewater seed potato farmer.
A Monsanto official argued to the BDN that "farmers who have no interest in using Monsanto's patented seed products have no rational basis to fear a lawsuit from Monsanto."
Monsanto is the St. Louis-based chemical manufacturer that produces consumer and commercial herbicides like Roundup and produces seed brands for crops like corn, cotton, soybeans, canola, cucumbers and melons.
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