Ok, it's clear that I'm going to get a shit load of downvotes for what I am about to say but the level of ignorance on GE technology and the contracts around pa

Ok, it's clear that I'm going to get a shit load of downvotes for what I am about to say but the level of ignorance on GE technology and the contracts around patented seeds here on HN is horrendous. I just keep seeing anti-GMO sound bytes that have no basis in reality so here it is. Farmers don't get sued for natural contamination. Do you really think Monsanto goes around looking for single plants in millions and millions of acres all around the world just so they can try to make a flimsy case before a judge. Monsanto sues people who have significant portions of their seed in their grain stores without a license, because the only way to get that much is by purchasing it from some other farmer who is growing and selling it or by growing it and storing seed for later, which is directly contrary to the license and contract they signed and agreed to. If you can prove farmer John down the road sold it to you and you thought it was natural, then you sue him for your losses on an unlicensed product. No one said GMO had 0% chance of spreading. What was said was that it was easy to contain because food crops don't thrive in the wild and have very high nutritional needs. So please stop spreading the "they said that it could never escape..." boogeyman sci-fi horror line. No one invested in the development of GMOs has said that to my knowledge and if they have, yes they are idiots or lying, but no it's not a big deal if some are in the wild, because they will die quickly. Monsanto, along with the other agritech companies, don't field study crops they just whipped up in a lab last night. In the lab they go through several sequencing and single plant trials, not to mention the genes are tested before they even enter the target plant species, THEN they produce enough seeds or plantlings to test in a field. Any significant potential health problems are screened out before it even gets to the field, so no this test case is not a danger to the public. Also the article literally says they have to get permits for new trial plants, so steps are already taken to ensure the plants are a deadly threat to nature or humans. Lastly, you may not like the whole "not even allowed to regrow them once" stipulation in the farmer contracts, but clearly farmers don't mind it because they line up to buy the stuff. As a farmer, you are either one that grows seed, one that grows product, or in some cases you grow both. They are separate business a lot of the time though. Monsanto's licensing and contract is to stop farmers thinking they can just become a competitor with Monsanto by spending a season farming seed crops and reselling to other farmers. Monsanto and others value come from the fact farmers can increase profits from using their product, if another farmer can grow and resell their product, they have no more business. The fact is, most farmers are fine with the contract and abide by it.