Posted on 06/26/2014 7:00:29 AM PDT by Renfield
Representatives of the international coalition No Patents on Seeds! from France, Germany and Spain have filed an opposition against a European patent held by Monsanto on conventionally bred tomatoes (EP1812575). The patent claims tomatoes with a natural resistance to a fungal disease called botrytis. The original tomatoes used for this patent came from the international gene bank in Gatersleben, Germany. It was already known that these plants had the desired resistance and they were simply crossed with other tomato plants. Monsanto then produced a cleverly worded patent in order to create the impression that genetic engineering had been used to produce the tomatoes and to make it look ‘inventive’.
“Because crossing tomatoes is not patentable, Monsanto deliberately rephrased the patent during the period of examination to make it appear as if genetic engineering was involved. However, careful reading of the patent shows that this is simply fraudulent. These tomatoes were not produced by transferring isolated DNA. The European Patent Office should have picked up on this,” says Christoph Then for No Patents on Seeds!. “This patent shows just how easy it is for companies like Monsanto to avoid existing prohibitions in patent law.”
According to patent law, “essentially biological processes for the production of plants and animals” are excluded from patentability. On the other hand, the European Patent Office routinely grants patents on genetically engineered plants. Monsanto already holds several hundred of these controversial patents. However, in this case, the tomatoes were derived from normal crossing, as described in the patent. Furthermore, it is very unlikely that such tomatoes can be created by genetic engineering because resistance to botrytis seems to be based on the combinatorial effects of several genes within the genome of the tomatoes. The relevant gene sequences are not known in detail. Thus, a desired gene combination can be achieved by crossing whole genomes, but not by transferring single isolated DNA sequences.
The opponents have also accused Monsanto of biopiracy: The original tomatoes came from an international gene bank in Germany that is supposed to safeguard the seeds for the common good in further plant breeding to ensure world food security. “Taking seeds from international gene banks for filing patents on genetic resources and their native traits is nothing less than theft, biopiracy and abuse of patent law”, says Francois Meienberg for Berne Declaration. “Patents on genetic resources stored in international seed banks have huge implications for availability to farmers and other breeders and can substantially hamper or even block access to plants needed for further breeding.”
The international coalition of No Patents on Seeds! is organising the opposition. Part of the coalition are Bionext (Netherlands), The Berne Declaration (Switzerland), GeneWatch (UK), Greenpeace, Misereor (Germany), Development Fund (Norway), No Patents on Life (Germany), Red de Semillas (Spain), Rete Semi Rurali (Italy), Reseau Semences Paysannes (France) and Swissaid (Switzerland). The organisations behind the No Patents on Seeds! coalition are concerned that such patents will foster further market concentration, making farmers and other stakeholders of the food supply chain more and more dependent on just a few big international companies and ultimately reduce consumer choice. No Patents on Seeds! is calling for a revision of European Patent Law to exclude breeding material, plants and animals and food derived thereof from patentability. The coalition is supported by several hundred other organisations.
According to Joe Biden, one or two warning shots off the back patio
WRONG !
First shot warnng off the patio..
Second shot level to the ground in the vicinity of the perp..
Third shot at the perp with a slug (no shot) !!
Telephone clall to 911 and p;olice ,delayed by 15 minutes to determine accuracy of slug shot.
LOL. Indeed it does. I wish you could too. So glad I’m retired now. What’s the name of your company again? IIRC it was Jungs?
Thanks.
Thanks for the Elliot Coleman books suggestion. I’m forwarding AMZ link to her.
Glad to help. So many projects, so little time! We’ve had 4” of rain here since Sunday. Grrrrr! I’m surprised at how much of my garden is surviving this, but I do have raised beds, so there is good drainage.
I have Thursday off (too wet and buggy out there for me right now) and I hope to assess the damage at that point. I do have at least three shrubs that were ‘pushed over’ by straight line winds last Sunday evening, but the brunt of the storm went west of me, Thank Goodness!
My little Cow Town lost a few corn cribs, and a number of trees inconveniently fell on things like homes, barns and cars but no people or animals were lost. Lucky...this time! :)
Good to hear that no one was injured.
So little time is right. I am totally astounded every day by the number of things still left to do. I often wonder how in the world did I do all the stuff I used to do, and work too? Guess I’m just not as fast as I used to be.LOL
Had yesterday off, and I’ve picked up all the limbs and sticks, righted everything that was flattened in the garden. Beau will be here this afternoon (before we head out for Camping Family Fun) and said he’d help me right the shrubs that need some help; I couldn’t budge them. I also have a younger Crab Apple that needs better staking.
I cannot believe the wind damage I had, even with a very tall (100’!) very thick windbreak of Norway Spruce along the west side of my farm.
But again, Counting Blessings, for sure! :)
Have a wonderful Independence Day, FRiend!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.