March 11, 2010

Monsanto patent not valid for soymeal

The European Court of Justice has indicated that Monsanto's patent on Roundup Ready soy seeds does not also cover processed soymeal in the EU, say reports.

The agri-giant filed a lawsuit against Cefetra, a Dutch soymeal importer from The Netherlands, after three soymeal shipments were found to contain Monsanto's patented DNA.

According to reports, annual trade of over EUR3 billion in Argentine soymeal is at stake. Reports quoted advocate general Paolo Mengozzi as saying the sequence is "a kind of residue" and "an unspecified number of derivatives products would come under the control of whoever had patented the DNA sequence of a plant".

The opinion must still be confirmed in a final ruling.

Monsanto does not have a patent in Argentina, but its Roundup Ready seeds are widely planted there - legally or otherwise.