Monsanto A class-action suit opens a new front in efforts by opponents of genetic engineering to curb the use of biotechnology in agriculture. Click on the interactive to find out how bioengineering food works and what can go wrong. The class-action suit, filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of six farmers, also accuses Monsanto and other seed companies of rushing the crops to market without adequately studying their effects on health and the environment. Price Fixing Alleged Corn and soybeans genetically designed to kill pests or withstand herbicides have become widely popular in the United States, but have met consumer resistance in Europe and Asia.
Genetic engineering involves splicing a single gene from one organism to another.
Until now, biotech opponents have focused their efforts on persuading food manufacturers not to buy genetically modified crops and getting governments to require the labeling of altered foods. The suit alleges that Monsanto, using its biotechnology patents, coordinated with other biotech companies such as DuPont to fix prices and force farmers into using genetically engineered seed. The companies control the spread of the technology by patenting the seeds and then leasing them to growers, rather than selling them, to prevent the farmers from reproducing the seeds. Farmers are charged a special fee to cover the cost of developing the technology. Five farmers in Indiana and Iowa, including a husband and wife, and one in France are listed as plaintiffs, but the lawsuit was filed on behalf of all farmers who have bought biotech seed.