Throughout this world there are many different positions towards GM food. Countries such as Greece try to ban the product. Other countries such as the USA have many states which have individual opinions. One such state is Maine, which was the last state to allow BT corn to be grown in there state.

 The Philipines

"Bt Corn in the Philippines was designed to be resistant to the Asiatic Corn Borer (ACB), Ostrinia Furnacalis (Guenee), one of the most destructive corn pests in the Philippines. This was supposed to be an amazing opportunity for poor farmers. Unfortunately for these farmers they have to buy BT corn each year. BT corn is much more expensive and these farmers technique of farming is to keep old seeds. If they don’t buy these seeds each year they can get into a lot of trouble. Bt corn seeds are a lot more expensive than non-Bt hybrids and OPVs even with additional cost for biological control methods. Farmers may be sued for patent infringement or be exposed to other legal challenges from saving Bt corn seeds or from contamination of their crops. (Chee Yoke Heong, 2005)

Cross Contamination

One huge legal problem with BT corn is cross contamination. This issue goes both ways. If one individual has BT corn and it pollinates another field than that field is now contaminated. Since there is a patent on those seeds those people with cross contaminated fields could get sued. Also an individual growing organic crops that has there filed contaminated now has a ruined field. Many countries such as Europe and Japan don’t approve of GM food. So if a farmer has a contaminated field with a contaminated crop they will not be able to sell their products. Hence a law suit towards the original BT crop that caused this problem.

(What is cross contamination?What cross contamination is and how to prevent it.., 2002)

Monsanto vs. Schmeiser

"For 40 years, Percy Schmeiser has grown canola on his farm near Bruno, Sask., about 80 km east of Saskatoon, usually sowing each crop of the oil-rich plants with seeds saved from the previous harvest. And he has never, says Schmeiser, purchased seed from the St. Louis, Mo.-based agricultural and biotechnology giant Monsanto Co. Even so, he says that more than 320 hectares of his land is now "contaminated" by Monsanto's herbicide-resistant Roundup Ready canola, a man made variety produced by a controversial process known as genetic engineering. And, like hundreds of other North American farmer, Schmeiser has felt the sting of Monsanto's long legal arm: last August the company took the 68-year-old farmer to court, claiming he illegally planted the firm's canola without paying a $37-per-hectare fee for the privilege. Unlike scores of similarly accused North American farmers who have reached out-of-court settlements with Monsanto, Schmeiser fought back. He claims Monsanto investigators trespassed on his land -- and that company seed could easily have blown on to his soil from passing canola-laden trucks. "I never put those plants on my land," says Schmeiser. "The question is, where do Monsanto's rights end and mine begin?"

The next day, Schmeiser launched a $10 million lawsuit against Monsanto, accusing the company of a variety of wrongs, including libel, trespass and contamination of his fields with Roundup Ready."(Fight Genetically ...,2008)

"Schmeiser's lawsuit against Monsanto won't be dealt with until the original lawsuit has been resolved. "We want to have the patent infringement hearings run their course, then  we'll pursue this," said Schmeiser's lawyer Terry Zakreski."

The Supreme Court issued their decision in May 2004 and one can view the decision as a draw. The Court determined that Monsanto's patent is valid, but Schmeiser is not forced to pay Monsanto anything as he did not profit from the presence of Roundup Ready canola in his fields. This issue started with Monsanto demanding Schmeiser pay the $15/acre technology fee and in the end, Schmeiser did not have to pay. The Schmeiser family and supporters are pleased with this decision, however disappointed that the other areas of appeal were not overturned.

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