Everyone's heard about how Monsanto, the world's largest producer of genetically engineered

crop seeds, is notorious for suing any farmer whose field happens to become accidentally

contaminated when the wind blows seeds onto their land.

But as is the case with so many things that, quote, everyone has heard, there's no truth

at all in this one.

We're going to find out what is true right now on Skeptoid.

You're listening to Skeptoid. I'm Brian Dunning from Skeptoid.com.

Percy Schmeiser versus Monsanto.

It's the familiar tale of David versus Goliath, a small independent farmer struggling to make

ends meet, gets sued by a gigantic multinational mega-corporation. He heroically fights back

as best he can with his limited resources, but inevitably cannot prevail.

This basic plot is one that's emotionally appealing at multiple levels, and it's

one we've seen repeated throughout the history of storytelling ever since its Old Testament

original. But in the case of the agricultural giant Monsanto suing farmers, the story

brings an additional appeal, that of evil technology, profaning and polluting nature.

It's little wonder that among nearly everyone who's heard of these lawsuits, Monsanto

is considered the antagonist, and the small farmer is the virtuous and blimeless victim.

Today, we're going to look into the most famous of these, the case of Monsanto Canada Inc.

versus Schmeiser, heavily dramatized in a Hollywood movie starring Christopher Walken, and find

out how closely its popular narrative may or may not track the truth.

A very common conversation I'll have with fellow science enthusiasts is that they love

the benefits that genetic engineering of crops brings to the world, which is undeniable,

...