<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/04/15/argentina-soybeans-monsanto-idUSL2N0XC2I720150415" style="font-size:1.2em;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif">REUTERS</a><br></div><div class="gmail_default"><div class="" id="articleContent" style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div class=""><div class="" style="zoom:1;width:976px;margin:0px auto"><div class="" style="border-top-width:1px;border-top-style:solid;border-top-color:rgb(102,102,102);padding:10px 0px"><span class="" style="font-size:1.2em;color:rgb(102,102,102)">Wed Apr 15, 2015 </span><h1 class="" style="margin:0px;font-family:knowledgemedium,arial,helvetica,sans-serif;color:rgb(51,51,51);line-height:42px;font-weight:normal;padding:6px 0px"><font size="6">Argentine farmers say Monsanto soy contract <br></font><span style="font-size:xx-large">breaks local law</span></h1><div class="" style="font-size:10px"><span class="" style="color:rgb(102,102,102);font-family:aria,helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:1.2em;font-weight:bold;margin:0px;text-transform:uppercase">BUENOS AIRES, APRIL 15</span> <span class="" style="font-size:1.2em;color:rgb(102,102,102)">| </span><span class="" style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-size:1.2em;text-transform:uppercase;padding-top:0px!important">BY MAXIMILIAN HEATH</span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="" style="color:rgb(0,0,0)"><div class=""><div class="" style="zoom:1;width:976px;margin:0px auto"><div class="" style="display:inline;float:left;margin-left:0px;width:644px;margin-bottom:20px"><div class="" style="font-size:10px;font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;margin:0px 0px 18px"><ul class="" style="zoom:1;list-style:none;margin:0px;padding:0px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);line-height:1.6em;font-size:small">(Reuters) - Argentine farm groups on Wednesday asked soy export companies to stop inspecting cargoes for bootlegged</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);line-height:1.6em;font-size:small"> </span><a class="" href="http://www.reuters.com/sectors/industries/overview?industryCode=159" rel="nofollow" style="line-height:1.6em;font-size:small;color:rgb(0,110,151);text-decoration:none;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;background-repeat:initial">biotechnology</a><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);line-height:1.6em;font-size:small"> </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);line-height:1.6em;font-size:small">at the behest of U.S. seed company Monsanto, the latest move in a long conflict between the country's</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);line-height:1.6em;font-size:small"> </span><span class="" id="nnen8_2" style="line-height:1.6em;font-size:small;list-style:none;float:none;height:16px;display:inline!important;padding:0px!important;margin:0px!important;border-style:none none solid!important;border-bottom-width:1px!important;text-decoration:underline!important;color:rgb(0,153,0)!important">farmers</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);line-height:1.6em;font-size:small"> </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);line-height:1.6em;font-size:small">and Monsanto.</span><br></ul></div><span id="articleText"><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><span id="midArticle_1"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Growers in Argentina, the world's top exporter of soymeal livestock feed, have signed agreements with Monsanto Co. for inspections of soybean shipments to ensure the company receives royalties for beans grown with its Intacta <span class="" id="nnen8_3" style="list-style:none;float:none;height:16px;display:inline!important;padding:0px!important;margin:0px!important;border-style:none none solid!important;border-bottom-width:1px!important;text-decoration:underline!important;color:rgb(0,153,0)!important">technology</span>.</p><span id="midArticle_2"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Under the contracts, farmers must pay the royalties if they use saved seed from prior harvests of the genetically modified beans. Monsanto's Intacta soybeans have a gene that allows the soybean plant to protect itself against crop-devouring worms.</p><span id="midArticle_3"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">In their statement Wednesday, the farm groups said their crops should not be subject to inspection by anyone but the state.</p><span id="midArticle_4"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">"Monsanto is trying to control all soy production in Argentina by forcing the <span class="" id="nnen8_4" style="list-style:none;float:none;height:16px;display:inline!important;padding:0px!important;margin:0px!important;border-style:none none solid!important;border-bottom-width:1px!important;text-decoration:underline!important;color:rgb(0,153,0)!important">payment</span> of royalties under a system that runs contrary to the Argentine legal system," said the statement by the country's top farm groups including the Argentine Rural Confederation (CRA) and Rural Society (SRA).</p><span id="midArticle_5"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">It went on to ask grains export companies to stop performing soybean cargo inspections on behalf of Monsanto. It also asked farmers to stop signing contracts that permit the inspections and insisted that the government intervene on behalf of Argentina's growers.</p><span id="midArticle_6"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">A spokesman for the agriculture ministry, which forecasts a record 2014/15 soy crop of 58 million tonnes, could not be immediately reached for comment. The Rosario grains exchange on Wednesday upped its harvest forecast to 59 million tonnes from a previous estimate of 58 million, citing good crop weather.</p><span id="midArticle_7"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Monsanto says it is trying to work with farmers.</p><span id="midArticle_8"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">"In no way is the control system oriented toward charging all royalties on the beans. To the contrary. What we want is for farmers to pay under preferential conditions," said Pablo Vaquero, vice president of Monsanto <a class="" href="http://www.reuters.com/places/argentina" rel="nofollow" style="color:rgb(0,110,151);text-decoration:none;background:transparent">Argentina</a>.</p><span id="midArticle_9"></span><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)">Argentine growers have long called it unfair to have to pay royalties on crops grown with beans produced on their farms, whether or not those beans were originally planted with genetically modified seeds. </p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;line-height:1.6em;padding:0px;color:rgb(34,34,34)"><i>(Additional reporting by <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=carey.gillam&" style="color:rgb(0,110,151);text-decoration:none;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;background-repeat:initial">Carey Gillam</a>; Writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by <a href="http://blogs.reuters.com/search/journalist.php?edition=us&n=grant.mccool&" style="color:rgb(0,110,151);text-decoration:none;background-image:initial;background-color:transparent;background-repeat:initial">Grant McCool</a>)</i></p></font></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><br></div></div></div></div></div>
</div>