Reply #3: Monsanto won't be happy until they've patented the very air we breathe

[Tinoire]

Last week they patented WHEAT! Nambe posted this story earlier

NEW DELHI: This is a new gene-grab story. After basmati and neem, Indian wheat has attracted foreign companies on the prowl for money-spinning genes and American seeds giant, Monsanto, has patented wheat invented by crossing a traditional Indian variety with another wheat line.

The wheat variety in question is Nap Hal, a primitive Indian land race. Monsanto says dough from its new wheat will be ideal for making bakery products like biscuits, crackers, wafers and crisps.

But gene-scientists and farmers here say this is a clear case of theft with the potential to stymie further breeding of high-quality varieties utilising this heritage wheat seed. Monsanto Technology was granted the patent last month by the European Patent Office based in Munich. The patent has been given both for the biscuits, flour, and dough produced from the wheat, as well as the plant itself. By owning this kind of patent, Monsanto could, in the future, potentially take legal action not only against farmers and scientists trying to breed wheat varieties with similar genetic traits, but also bakeries, confectioners and supermarkets if they produce or sell biscuits and other foods made from patented wheat.

--- International NGO Greenpeace, however, has much to say. In a statement on its website it says, "Monsanto is targeting and stealing from Indian farmers who have cultured this specific variety of wheat for centuries. This patent demonstrates the urgent need for a general legal ban on the patenting of genes, live organisms and seeds." Greenpeace intends to file an objection to the patent over the coming weeks. ---

http://www.oneworld.net/external/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.corpwatchindia.org%2Fnews%

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THIS is one of the key issues of our age and should be a KEY issue for all Democrats. WHO WILL CONTROL THE WORLD'S FOOD? Most of the other issues we quibble about at DU pale in comparison to this and I hope we all pay close attention to this when selecting our candidates because the Democrat Party is as paid off by Monsanto as the Republican Party and FEW are willing to speak out. Will we speak out when it's TOO LATE? Will our reps finally pay post-mortem lip service to this when Monsanto has patented everything and indigenous and/or non bio-chemically engineered plants have been killed off by Monsanto's increasingly toxic "weed-killers" that poison the waters, our health and the fauna around it? Or will it be when our children get horribly sick and decripit from eating Monsanto's foods which WERE NEVER PROPERLY TESTED?

In case you were in doubt about Monsanto's motives for producing GE crops:
A Monsanto official told the New York Times, October 25, 1998, that the corporation should not have to take responsibility for the safety of its food products. "Monsanto should not have to vouchsafe the safety of biotech food," said Phil Angell, Monsanto's director of corporate communications. "Our interest is in selling as much of it as possible. Assuring its safety is the FDA's job."

http://www.organicconsumers.org/monlink.html

Now do a google on how many Monsanto men served in both Bush administrations AND Clinton's- top advisors, policy makers, supreme court judges, FDA, EPA- ALL over the place. That information is also posted in the thread below.

This link won't work until the old DU is back up but here goes: http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=6510&forum=DCForumID71&archive=