Licenced to grow a crop

[sue]

I am interested in hearing from you the approaches you might be taking for these issues. -sufficient records to track trespass crops from other fields - landlords giving tenants authority to have a third party access landlords land 1) during lease 2)after lease is done. - difference in marketing plans between invented and common seed. - Extent to which a grower is responsible for escape seed. - Are growers having landlords sign licence agreements. - disclosure to buyer of characterists of seed. - restricted movement of seed under licence. - errors and omissions insurance for business. - disclosure of seed characterists when purchasing seed from neighbor. - who owns the seed sample at the seed cleaning plant. Please discuss how you as a grower have approached these issues. Graham

[dan]

This issue may herald a whole new series of issues surrounding biotechnology and genetically modified organisms (GMO's). As I see it, the biotech companies have patented certain genes now used in up to half of all the canola grown in western Canada, and they're trying to protect their investment. The CBC's National news program ran a piece on this a few days ago; check it out on their web-site at http://www.tv.cbc.ca/national/.

[brian]

Cauton! Caution! Caution! Monsanto is seeking to control all of the Canola grown. The genetic engineering that makes Canola resistant to Roundup is just a start. Soon they will make it resistant to other herbicides so that it will be dominant over other non herbicides resitant canola. This will enable them to spread their genetic canola throughout the canola inventories in storage and in crops. Next will be other grains and specialty crops. Monsanto wants to be the controller of all seed sales. I can see that by making the plants resistant to the herbicides, that certain plants like canola will become a weed classed competitor for other crops. Caution and possibly a court ruling should be sought to prevent Monsanto from becoming this agent that we have to deal with by default.