GMW: Monsanto to get royalties for contamination (of other's non GM crops)

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GMW: Monsanto to get royalties for contamination

" GM WATCH " <info

Mon, 11 Jul 2005 22:43:32 +0100

 

 

 

GM WATCH daily

http://www.gmwatch.org

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1.Monsanto to get royalties for contamination

2.It pays to grow non-GM crops

 

EXCERPT: The question is all about Monsanto's attempt of charge

royalties over its GMO " Roundup Ready " soybeans [in Brazil]

 

" The limit to be tolerated as accidental contamination is of 2% of a

soybean cargo " , Rita Froes explains. " Above this limit, royalties will be

charged over the whole lot. " (item 1)

 

Australia's Network of Concerned Farmers' note: Although commercial

release has not yet been approved by State government, in Australia,

Monsanto is proposing an " end-point-royalty " for their Roundup Ready

canola.

 

If their Roundup Ready gene is detected in the seed delivered to the

receival point, they can deduct their " user fee " from the non-GM farmers

payments for our crop.

 

This is a blank cheque to Monsanto as their test can detect

contamination to 0.5% and contamination will not be able to be avoided

(particularly as farmers are supposed to

tolerate 0.5% contamination in our non-GM seed).

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1.Producers must segregate to avoid unnecessary royalties

Source: Agrenco News

Section: Agrenco News

Jul 01, 2005

Source: Trace Consult

 

http://www.non-gm-farmers.com/news_details.asp?ID=2265

 

Producers that are thinking in planting GMO soybeans in the next crop –

especially those interested in keeping part of its lands seeded with

conventional beans – must take good care of contamination, because any

negligence will result in unnecessary losses, according to Rita Froes,

general manager of IQS-Genlab.

 

The question is all about Monsanto's attempt of charge royalties over

its GMO " Roundup Ready " soybeans. The value accorded with cooperatives

and agricultural federations in Brazil's South Region is of 1% of sales

price, and a 2% has been negotiated for 2005-06 crop.

 

" The limit to be tolerated as accidental contamination is of 2% of a

soybean cargo " , Rita Froes explains. " Above this limit, royalties will be

charged over the whole lot. "

 

This means that a producer who plants 20% of his land with GMO

varieties just to test its performance may be obliged to pay royalties

also

over the other 80% planted with regular beans, if he does not provide

proper segregation.

 

Rita Froes warns that the care to avoid contamination of the

conventional soybeans by GMO beans may begin in the planting period

and must be

taken ahead till harvest time. " Producers can not finish to harvest an

area planted with GMO soybeans and proceed harvesting other area planted

with conventional beans without cleaning machines first " , she says.

 

Segregation also does not end at this point, it must go on during

storage, transport and export.

 

Contact of Rita Froes: rita

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2.It pays to grow non-GM crops

Monday, 11 July , 2005

http://sify.com/finance/fullstory.php?id=13893042

 

Dan Heffelmire, President of H & B Specialities Inc that deals with food

quality grain products, is one who personally has no problems with

genetically modified (GM) food. But when it comes to business, his

problems

have only increased with more farmers in the US taking to cultivation

of GM crops.

 

" Our problems have increased with the rise in GM crops. We export corn

grown traditionally to Japan and South Korea. Both these countries do

not accept GM crops. As a result, we are now left doing more paperwork

to ensure that our products are accepted by our buyers, " Heffelmire told

a group of visiting journalists.

 

The paperwork for those exporting corn or soyabean to countries such as

the European Union, Japan and Korea begin from the farmgate.

 

First, the farmer has to sign papers saying the crop has not been

contaminated with any GM material.

 

Then, the silo owner who buys the crop has to give a similar

undertaking before the shipper gives his.

 

" We also have to carefully agree on our contracts. We sign in a way

that says these crops will conform to norms at the delivery point. The

buyers too come here to check before taking delivery, " says a corn

exporter.

 

The delivery point means the place where the crop is filled in a barge

that is sent by river to the nearest port, which in case of places such

as Bloomington could be some 750 km away.

 

The barges are tightly sealed and secured from being contaminated by

any foreign material.

 

The additional paperwork pays since the importers are willing to pay

some premium for ensuring GM-free products.

 

Corn bought by Japan and Korea is converted into snacks, while it is

also used for making starch.

 

" This sort of check and balance has helped in ensuring that our

consignments have less contamination. Though our contracts allow for

about

five per cent contamination and trash, the level of foreign material in

our shipments has come down to around one per cent, " the exporter says.

 

On the farmers' side, firms such as H & B Specialities have to ensure

that the crop is properly insured from contamination by GM crops. " We

ensure that there is a proper refuge area or buffer area, " Heffelmire

said.

 

Corn growers are asked to have a refuge area of 20 per cent. This means

towards the end of the area where corn is sown, it is mandatory for

farmers to grow 20 per cent non-GM crop at the end of the farm to ensure

that neighbouring farms are not affected due to pollination of GM crops.

 

" We have to keep an eye at every stage to ensure that the shipments to

our consumers conform to the stipulated norms, " said Heffelmire.

 

" But we get a premium ranging between 5 and 25 per cent for the

products and growers also benefit from this, " he said.

 

Another exporter said corn traders in the US were now confident of

exporting to the EU.

 

" We can meet even a lower level of contamination/trash. But the problem

is that the EU buyers demand that these conditions be met at the point

of delivery, which we are sceptical of, " he said.

 

The problem is because the trash/contamination level could differ from

what it is at the point of loading and point of delivery. " It could be

higher at the delivery port for no fault of ours, " he added.

 

But exporters, experts and growers agree that growing a traditional or

GM crop variety depends on what is economically beneficial to farmers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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