Seed pirate Percy Schmeiser has sailed off to Kenya. Schmeiser, a Canadian canola farmer, was sued by Monsanto last year for using Monsanto’s genetically improved crop seed without paying the licensing fee — in short, for theft. Schmeiser insisted wind blew the crop onto his fields — covering over 95% of them. The Federal Court of Canada didn’t buy it, and made Schmeiser pay a $20,000 fine. Somewhere along the way, Schmeiser decided to take up the cause against improved agriculture.
Schmeiser has now taken his campaign against genetic improvement technology worldwide. He appeared recently in Nairobi to address a seminar organized by the Green Belt movement, “an indigenous, grassroots, environmental campaign” based in Kenya. Percy’s come a long way from Saskatchewan.
