(Natural Society) We’ve been reporting on the case of Steve Marsh, an organic farmer in Australia who has been fighting Monsanto and his neighbor and childhood friend Michael Baxter due to the contamination of his farm from genetically modified canola.
Steve Marsh lost his organic certification for more than 70 percent of his West Australian wheat farm due to the cross-pollination by his neighbor’s herbicide-resistant, GM canola crops. Marsh sued his neighbor, Baxter, in Supreme Court, but lost, partly due to the fact that Monsanto reportedly paid some very hefty legal fees for his opponent. Baxter won in a two-to-one vote in September of last year.
Marsh now wants to take his plea to the Australian High Court, unsatisfied with the obvious collusion between his neighbor and one of the most hated corporations in the world – Monsanto.
Though the two neighbors have been hashing it out, Monsanto has been allowed to stay on the sidelines, patiently refusing to take any responsibility for transgenic contamination. Odd, since the corp has been suing farmers with convoluted patent laws which have been passed as of late. Monsanto would give farmers grief for saving seed for years now – a time-honored tradition which is now threatened with lawsuits like the one between Marsh and Grant.
Marsh is seeking special leave to appeal in the High Court in an act of tenacity and resilience that will help all organic farmers, should he win. Though he likely could use help funding his legal battle since Monsanto will undoubtedly up the ante to try to defeat him again.
