1. Monsanto suffers another defeat in court over patents
2. Emergency survey to control Helicoverpa caterpillar during Aprosoja tour
NOTE: Monsanto and GM crops have suffered a double blow in Brazil.
First, Brazil's Supreme Court has ruled in favour of soy producers in a class action they brought against Monsanto over the company's illegal collection of royalty payments for Roundup Ready soy. The court ruled that Monsanto will have to pay back to the farmers double the amount of illegally collected royalties (item 1).
Second, the cotton bollworm/corn earworm caterpillar, Helicoverpa zea, is decimating crops of various types (item 2). The president of the Brazilian Group of Cotton Consultants, Celito Eduardo Breda, has previously blamed the spread of GM Bt maize for the plague, among other factors. Breda said the Bt maize killed off a natural enemy of Helicoverpa zea, allowing the pest to spread uncontrolled. The plague is said to have caused huge losses to Brazilian farmers:
http://gmwatch.org/latest-listing/52-2013/14683
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1. Monsanto suffers another defeat in court over patents
The Supreme Court judges reaffirmed the original decision of February, that the request for extension of the patent of Monsanto's RR soya is illegal
Ascom Aprosoja and Famato, 17/05/2013
http://www.aprosoja.com.br/comunicacao/noticias/Paginas/Monsanto-sofre-nova-derrota-judicial-em-rela%E7%E3o-a-patentes.aspx
[Slightly edited and cut Google translation of Portuguese original]
The [Brazilian] Supreme Court of Justice (STJ) ruled on Thursday 16 May that Monsanto's claim to extend the life of the patent on GM soybeans was illegal. In a unanimous ruling, the four judges of the Third Instance reaffirmed the initial decision of Judge Ricardo Cueva Villas Boas, who ruled that the 20-year patent, registered on August 31, 1990, had expired.
The appeal brought by Monsanto against Judge Cueva's decision had aimed to invalidate Brazilian legislation on patents.
The president of Famato, Rui Prado, said the decision of the Supreme Court reinforces what the soy producers have been fighting for since last year - for the judicial system to recognize that the patent had expired. "This decision of the Supreme Court is an important recognition. We advocate fair collection of royalties and practices supported by Brazilian patent law," said Prado.
According to the vice president of Aprosoja, Ricardo Tomczyk, the unanimous vote of the Superior Court judges has put an end to this matter. "The Supreme Court has put an end to the persistent decision by Monsanto to violate the law. The firm position of the STJ proves that we are on track and have won our rights," he added.
Explanation of the case - The Famato [farmers' union] in partnership with the rural Trade Unions and Aprosoja, filed in September 2012 a class action … requesting the suspension of the payment of royalties and fee for the use of the Roundup Ready (RR) technology, as well as the return [to the farmers] of double the amount improperly charged.
The claim was based on technical and legal study commissioned by Famato and Aprosoja-MT, confirming that the intellectual property rights relating to RR technology, owned by Monsanto, expired on September 1, 2010, making it public domain. Thus, the collection of fees by the company for use of this technology and for royalties is improper.
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2. Emergency survey to control Helicoverpa caterpillar during Aprosoja tour
Delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture visits municipalities of Mato Grosso to check incidence of pests in crops
Ascom Aprosoja, 16/05/2013
http://www.aprosoja.com.br/comunicacao/noticias/Paginas/Mapa-alerta-para-controle-de-lagarta-helicoverpa-durante-Circuito-Aprosoja.aspx
[Excerpt from slightly edited Google translation of Portuguese original]
Farmers in Mato Grosso must pay attention to the control of the Helicoverpa caterpillar, which attacks all crops produced in the state (soybean, cotton, corn, sunflower, and millet). According to the coordinator of the Commission of Plant Health Protection of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), Wanderlei Dias Guerra, this pest has caused major damage in Bahia and already there is concern over the incidence and need for spraying in the municipalities of Petrovina in Mato Grosso.
A delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture, consisting of the coordinator and four trainees in agronomy, is touring various cities of Mato Grosso, along with Aprosoja, to survey the distribution of Helicoverpa attacks. "Our concern is that the producers were unable to identify the pest and initially put in place controls that were not effective," said Guerra...