Dive Summary:
- Kansas wheat farmer Ernest Barnes filed a suit against Monsanto Co in U.S. District Court in Wichita, Kan., alleging gross negligence for the company's failure to contain an experimental strain of genetically modified wheat.
- The discovery of the GMO wheat, which Monsanto says it shelved nearly a decade ago, in an Oregon field has put U.S. wheat export sales at risk, and Barnes says he and other farmers are feeling the financial fallout.
- How far the unapproved wheat has spread and whether it has contaminated food supplies is unknown, but Monsanto tested the wheat in Kansas and several other states, and Barnes' suit claims the company knew there was a high risk of contamination and that the company failed to follow procedures to keep it contained.
From the article:
... The suit does not state a specific claim for damages but says the amount in dispute exceeds $75,000.
More lawsuits are likely, the plaintiff's attorney said. Monsanto said the lawsuit was a "wild swing" that lacked basis.
"Tractor-chasing lawyers have prematurely filed suit without any evidence of fault and in advance of the crop's harvest," David Snively, Monsanto executive vice president and general counsel, said in a statement. ...