TITLE: Brazil To Study Argentina's
Request On Monsanto Royalties AUTHOR: Taos Turner
PUBLICATION: Dow Jones Newswires DATE: 4 April 2005 URL:
http://money.iwon.com/jsp/nw/nwdt_rt.jsp?cat=USMARKET&src=7
04&feed=dji§ion=news&news_id=dji-00063320050404&date=200
50404&alias=/alias/money/cm/nw
BRAZIL TO STUDY ARGENTINA'S REQUEST ON MONSANTO ROYALTIES
4 April 2005
BUENOS AIRES (Dow Jones) -- Brazil, the world's second-biggest soybean producer, will study a request from Argentina to limit the methods that U.S.-based biotechnology company Monsanto can use to collect royalties on the sale and use of its genetically modified soybean seeds.
The seeds, known as Roundup Ready soybeans, are used pervasively in Argentina and in parts of southern Brazil. However, Monsanto has had trouble collecting royalties in both countries, as well as in Paraguay, where the seeds are also widely used.
Monsanto has a patent on the seeds in Brazil but not in Argentina. Even so, Monsanto recently reached royalties agreements with farmers in both Brazil and Paraguay.
To ensure that royalties are paid in Argentina, Monsanto has suggested that Argentine farmers pay a fee for the seeds whenever soybeans are exported. But Agriculture Secretary Miguel Campos has objected, saying such a system would be unfair.
On Friday, Campos met with agricultural ministers from Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay to discuss the matter while on the sidelines of a separate conference in Colombia.
After the meeting, Argentina's Agriculture Secretariat issued a statement saying that the ministers had come to agree that seeds should "only be paid for at the point of purchase."
However, such an agreement could contravene Brazilian law, and on Monday Brazilian officials appeared to back away from Argentina's statement.
Lino Colsera, vice-secretary of International Relations at Brazil's Agriculture Ministry, said Brazil would need to consider the legal ramifications of Argentina's proposal.
"We reached the conclusion that the proposal needed to be analyzed by each country, considering each country's legal issues," Colsera told Dow Jones Newswires. "The Brazilian government believes that royalties need to be paid, and we'll discuss the issue later this month."
Ministers from Argentina, Brazil and other members of the Southern Agricultural Council will meet in Paraguay later this month to discuss this and other regional farm issues. Before that, technical experts from each country will meet in Buenos Aires April 12-13, and the issue of royalties will be a "priority" at this meeting, Argentine officials have said.
Colsera said Brazil should have an answer for Argentina by the end of the month. He said Brazil wants Monsanto to be able to collect royalties for the use of its seeds and that it is "looking for the best way" to make this happen.
Monsanto declined to comment for this story.
GOING FURTHER (compiled by GRAIN)
"Regalías: acuerdo en Paraguay", AgriTotal, Buenos
Aires, 6 de abril 2005.
[El ministro de Agricultura y
Ganadería de ese país señaló
ayer que en el caso paraguayo existe un pleno acuerdo
entre productores y Monsanto para el pago por el uso de
soja transgénica.]
http://www.agritotal.com/nota.asp?did=4164&sFecha=True&sIma
gen=True
Hilary Burke, "South American
ministers reject Monsanto soy royalty plan", Reuters, 4
April 2005.
http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/30205/st
ory.htm
APF, "El Cono Sur rechaza el
canon que quiere cobrar Monsanto", APF Digital,
Paraná, 3 de abril 2005.
[Los países del
Mercosur, Bolivia y Chile ?no aceptarán el pago de
regalías en el grano ya que dicho planteo no se
ajusta con la legislación y derechos de los
países de la región?.]
http://www.apfdigital.com.ar/despachos.asp?cod_des=40957
TITLE: European Patent Office rules not to revoke
Monsanto-patent
AUTHOR: Greenpeace International
PUBLICATION: Press release
DATE: 6 April 2005
URL:
http://www.greenpeace.org/international_en/press/release?it
em_id=822957&campaign_id=
Munich, 6 April 2005
EUROPEAN PATENT OFFICE RULES NOT TO REVOKE MONSANTO-PATENT
The European Patent Office tonight decided to not to revoke the patent on Monsanto's Roundup Ready soy. The decision can pave the way for all biotech companies to patents on seeds.
The European Patent Office tonight contravened law, life and common sense. They ruled against their own laws under the European Patent Convention (EPC), which prohibits patents on plant varieties and commercially grown seeds.
They ruled against farmers worldwide, by opening the door for Monsanto and other biotech companies to further exert control over our food through monopolies on the availability and production of crops. And they ruled against common sense. The decision means if farmers start growing Monsanto's seeds, the harvest could become the property of the company in the end.
Greenpeace will continue to oppose the application of these patents on a political level. European Governments should now take steps to ensure that the EPC regulations are not further abused.
Greenpeace urges for a global ban for patents on seeds.
GOING FURTHER (compiled by GRAIN)
"Agencia
europea: Monsanto posee patente de semillas
transgénicas", Reuters, Hamburgo, 7 de abril de
2005.
[Un organismo europeo dispuso que Monsanto
sí tiene derecho a patentar sus semillas
transgénicas en Europa, dijo el jueves un portavoz,
lo que según algunos podría dar al gigante
estadounidense de los agroquímicos el derecho a
exigir regalías sobre cultivos argentinos.]
http://espanol.news.yahoo.com/050407/2/z7fv.html
"Monsanto gana disputa en Europa", EFE, 7 de abril
2005.
[La EPA confirmó una controvertida
patente de soja transgénica, concedida en 1996 al
consorcio Monsanto, contra la que había presentado
recurso la organización ecologista Greenpeace.]
http://www.infobae.com/notas/nota.php?Idx=176464&IdxSeccion
=100443
European Patent Office,
"European patent on herbicide-tolerant plants limited",
EPO Press Release, Münich, 6 April 2005.
[Also in
German and French.]
http://www.european-patent-office.org/news/pressrel/2005_04
_06_2_e.htm