Monsanto did not know what it was getting into when it tried to teach Percy Schmeiser a lesson. Two years after losing a patent dispute with the biotechnology giant, the 71-year-old grain farmer from Bruno, Sask., has taken his story -- and his message about farmers' rights -- from Brazil to Bangladesh, from Australia to Austria. He has at least as many international gigs as boy band 'N Sync this year, yet the jet lag is not slowing him down.
Farmers groups, environmentalists and United Nations policy makers all want to hear Mr. Schmeiser's tale of being taken to court over the kind of canola found growing in his fields four years ago. Some will pay his air fare and expenses to have him tell it in person (he doesn't charge speaking fees.).
"Monsanto couldn't have picked a worse person to get into a fight with," said Pat Mooney, the executive director of the Winnipeg-based technology watchdog group ETC, who has seen Mr. Schmeiser speak at international forums.
"We knew going into this that this was a no-win situation for us in the public's eye. It has all the classic things that people can take a spin on," said Trish Jordan, Monsanto Canada spokeswoman. "The bottom line is that this case for us is about protecting intellectual property. There are 30,000 farmers who use this technology in Canada and pay to use it.".
Earlier this year, the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate launched a class-action suit against Monsanto and Aventis claiming that pollen drift and contamination from their genetically modified strains of canola have made it impossible for Saskatchewan farmers to grow certifiably organic canola. Mr. Schmeiser has also registered a lawsuit against Monsanto for damages related to alleged contamination of his fields by Roundup Ready canola, a suit he hasn't yet had time to pursue.:
