Organic farmer Steve Marsh is suing neighboring farmer Michael Baxter for as-yet-unspecified damages over alleged nuisance and negligence, which allegedly allowed seeds from GM canola to blow across a large section of Marsh’s property in 2010. As a result of this contamination, Marsh claims, Eagle Rest lost its organic certification on the 325 hectares affected. And as a result of that, he further claims his income has been significantly reduced.
Marsh v Baxter not only pits neighbor against neighbor. It may influence the standard industry protocols for handling GM crops in future, the definition of what constitutes an “organic” product, and how farmers coexist using different practices. It’s become a landmark case, likely to set new ground rules between those who do and those who don’t do GM.
Share this article
Read the full, original article: Steve Marsh and the Bad Seeds
