Maine farmers ready Supreme Court appeal in Monsanto case
A group of organic farmers from Maine want to take their challenge of agricultural seed giant Monsanto Co.’s patents to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Portland Press Herald reported the Maine-based Organic Seed Growers and Trade Association will appeal a federal court decision against them to the nation’s top court. That court’s June ruling upheld Monsanto’s patents on seeds for certain crops. In its ruling, the court said that organic growers should rely on promises on Monsanto's website that the company will not sue farmers whose crops are found to have trace amounts — less than 1% — of its proprietary seeds.
Jim Gerritsen, an organic seed potato farmer in Bridgewater and head of the group leading the lawsuit against Monsanto, told the paper that the Supreme Court appeal will give the group the chance to argue the case against Monsanto’s patents in full.
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.
In a written statement, the company told the paper that it has no history or reasonable likelihood of pursuing patent infringement against farmers who decide not to use the company’s seed products. Gerritsen said his group doesn’t believe the company’s assurances.
The chance of the case going before the U.S. Supreme Court is slim, as the court receives around 8,000 requests each year, but Gerritsen said his group believes the case could have broader public policy impacts.
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