Agence France Presse

January 11, 2002

Western Canada organic farmers sue Monsanto, Aventis over modified canola

SASKATOON, Canada

A group representing Saskatchewan organic farmers filed a class action lawsuit 
Thursday against Monsanto and Aventis, seeking damages for crops contaminated 
by genetically engineered canola.

The organic farmers allege pollen has carried the genetically engineered canola 
into their fields, contaminating conventional and organic canola crops, said 
Arnold Taylor, president of the Saskatchewan Organic Directorate, which 
represents organic growers in the province.

The lawsuit, on behalf of the 1,000 to 1,200 organic farmers in the western 
Canadian province, also seeks to get an injunction to prevent Monsanto from 
introducing its modified wheat in Saskatchewan. The claim states that when 
Monsanto and Aventis introduced their genetically engineered canolas they 
knew, or ought to have known, that the engineered canola would spread and 
contaminate the environment.

Monsanto, the marketer of Roundup Ready canola which has been used in western 
Canada since 1995, declined to comment on the lawsuit, saying it has not had 
time to review the document. Aventis could not be reached for comment.

Taylor said that because of the contamination organic canola marketers as well 
as conventional growers have lost significant customers in Europe and Japan.

"Organic implies by its our standard that there is no genetic modification in it, 
so therefore we would lose our sale and of course, the organic market commands 
quite a bit more money per bushel" than conventional canola, said Taylor, an 
organic farmer, by telephone.

Taylor said the farmers had not determined the amount of damages being sought, 
but said it would be in the "millions."

The class-action lawsuit was filed by two organic farmers in a Saskatchewan 
court early Thursday and must to be certified by the court before it can 
proceed.

Organic farmers believe the same thing will happen to wheat if modified wheat 
is introduced.

"Since wheat is the cornerstone of prairie agriculture, and essential for 
organic crop rotations, losing wheat to genetic contamination would devastate 
organic farming in Saskatchewan," the directorate said in a statement.

Monsanto spokeswoman Trish Jordan said they have conducted field trials on 
genetically engineered Roundup Ready wheat for four years, but said it is 
years away from commercial use.

She added that the genetically modified wheat would not be marketed until 
regulatory approval was obtained in the United States, Canada and Japan.

Monsanto's Roundup Ready wheat, which has been spliced with a gene to make 
it resistant to the company's Roundup herbicide, was barely out of the 
laboratory when international wheat buyers -- including Europe and Japan 
balked at the idea last year.