(NaturalNews) For at least a decade, Monsanto, the world’s most evil corporation, has been illegally charging Brazilian farmers growing the company’s genetically-modified (GM) crops a two percent tax on production, and a three percent tax for cross-contamination of seed. And according to CorpWatch, the agri-giant could soon have to fork over $7.5 billion in reimbursements to more than five million Brazilian farmers as a result of these blatant crimes.
Oddly enough, Monsanto’s very presence in Brazil was predicated on fraud, as its GM soy seeds were first smuggled into the country illegally back in 1998. Fast forward about 13 years and nearly 75 million acres of arable land in Brazil is now occupied by Monsanto’s GM crops, the vast majority of which constitute Roundup Ready soy.
But the entire Monsanto growing system for GMOs, which prohibits farmers from saving seeds and reusing them the following year — and in this case, requires farmers to pay private taxes directly to Monsanto — is entire against the law in Brazil. Even though former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio “Lula” Da Silva basically grandfathered-in legalization for Monsanto’s GM crops back in 2005 because they were already being widely grown in the country illegally, Monsanto is still breaking the law by levying taxes against farmers and requiring them to pay royalties.
“The law gives producers the right to multiply the seeds they buy and nowhere in the world is there a requirement to pay (again),” said Jane Berwanger, a lawyer representing the Brazilian farmers in the case, concerning Monsanto’s illegal user fees and taxes. “Producers are in effect paying a private tax on production.”
Back in April, a judge in Rio Grande Do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, ruled that Monsanto’s user fees were illegal, and ordered the company to not only stop collecting them, but also to begin reimbursing farmers in the state for all fees collected since 2004. This judge also noted that Monsanto’s Roundup Ready seed patent has also already expired in Brazil.
Monsanto attempted to appeal this decision, of course, but failed. And as a reward for its arrogance, the Brazilian Supreme Court decided that the Rio Grande Do Sul court’s ultimate ruling, whatever that ends up being, will apply to every farmer throughout the country, and not just in Rio Grande Do Sul.
Monsanto has indicated that it plans to continue illegally collecting fees and charging taxes until the courts issue their final ruling on the matter. This ruling is expected to be issued by 2014.
Sources for this article include:
Lucas 2012 Infos 