Barbara H. Peterson
And you thought that Monsanto only patented its proprietary genetically engineered seed varieties. WRONG! Monsanto is the name, and all seed control is the game.
It appears that Indian melons with a natural resistance to viruses was detected. A natural resistance. No genetic engineering required. So, being the stalwart defender of anything goes in the quest to grab control of the world’s food supply, Monsanto filed a patent on it.
Fortunately, someone was looking and forced the European Patent Office to revoke the fraudulent patent. Let’s just call this attempt at owning the world’s natural seeds as well as its laboratory’s spliced and diced concoctions exactly what it is – an act of biopiracy by the first and foremost purveyor of poison on a plate, Monsanto.
European Patent Office revokes Monsanto patent on melons
Christoph Then
Opponents urge politicians to take action
20 January 2016 / The European Patent Office (EPO) has revoked a patent held by Monsanto on melons (EP1962578) for technical reasons. Monsanto was claiming melons with a natural resistance to plant viruses as its own invention, derived from breeding without genetic engineering. The resistance was detected in Indian melons. The patent was granted by the European Patent Office (EPO) even though European patent law does not allow patents on plant varieties and processes for conventional breeding. The Indian government supported the opposition from No Patents on Seeds! by a sending letter requesting the patent to be revoked.
The letter was sent to the EPO just one day before the hearing. Essentially the application of the patent constituted an act of biopiracy – violating Indian law and international treaties.
“The patent was based on essentially biological processes for breeding and claimed plant varieties. This was a clear violation of European patent law”, says Christoph Then for the international coalition of No Patents on Seeds! which organised the opposition. “It is a huge success that the patent has been revoked! Nevertheless, the general problem cannot be resolved simply by filing oppositions at the EPO. Politicians need to make sure that laws are applied properly and prohibitions are no longer ignored.”
The opposition was filed by Arbeitsgemeinschaft Bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (Germany), Bund Naturschutz in Bayern (Germany), Berne Declaration (Switzerland), Gesellschaft für Ökologische Forschung (Germany), Greenpeace (Germany), No Patents on Life! (Germany), Verband Katholisches Landvolk (Germany) and Foundation for Future Farming.
Further information: www.no-patents-on-seeds.org
Tags: biopiracy, christoph then, Farm Wars, farmwars, indian melon, monsanto, patent, seed control
Monsatan and Wee Willie Gates has a lot of money tied up in that seed vault. Svalbard.
Putin Slams Big Pharma and GMO Foods
http://sorendreier.com/putin-s.....gmo-foods/
“Vladimir Putin stated in a report prepared by the Security Council that Russians should be protected from GMO foods and pharmaceutical companies “at all costs.” The Russian leader judged that human evolution is at “grave risk” and that Western powers are “intentionally decelerating the process for personal gain,” YourNewsWire reported.”