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[SANET-MG] weapons of mass derision



> Argentina slams Monsanto for "attitude" on GMO royalties
> Taos Turner
> Dow Jones Newswires, March 17, 2005
>
> BUENOS AIRES -The Argentine government late Wednesday was cited as
slamming U.S.-based biotechnology giant Monsanto Co. for having a
"hoodlum-like attitude" in its effort to ensure that local farmers pay
royalties for using genetically modified soybean seeds designed by the
company.
>
> The story explains that Monsanto has had trouble collecting royalties
since the seeds were introduced here in 1996. In a renewed collection
effort,
> Monsanto recently began telling exporters that it would impose a
$15-per-metric-ton fee on soybean exports.
>
> If exporters decline to pay the fee, they will face the prospect of
being sued in the courts of European countries that import Argentine
soybeans,
> Monsanto says.
>
> Monsanto says it has the legal right to collect royalties on
Argentine exports when they reach the ports of countries that recognize
the company's
> seed patent.
>
> Monsanto does not have a patent on the seeds, known as Roundup Ready
soy, in Argentina.
> The Agriculture Secretariat was quoted as saying in a statement late
Wednesday that, "Unfortunately, and despite all the meetings and
conversations we've had while trying to come up with a legal framework
for the sale of seeds, Monsanto persists in its hoodlum-like attitude,
one which stands afar from normal business practices," and that it would
not tolerate Monsanto's "bravado."

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