Shmeiser claimed that these plants got into his farm

Shmeiser claimed that these plants got into his farm by accident. Shmeiser and Monsanto took
the case to court and Shmeiser was found guilty of possessing the seeds purposefully. He ended
up with 1,030 acres of round up ready canola that would have cost him $15,000 to purchase from
Monsanto. (Monsanto). Shmeiser continued to grow the round up ready crops even after
realizing only half of his crop died when it was sprayed with round up. That should have been
the initial clue that half of his canola crop was something different. This case uses the ethical
theory of Kartian ethics, Shmeiser continued growing the crops because that was his sense of
duty, to grow canola, and he did this knowing there was a consequence to himself. It also goes
back onto the social contract theory pertaining to agriculture that says, “Those who practice
agriculture are expected to provide food for those who do not…” (Hyder, 2017). He has a social
contract as a farmer to provide food for others and that was his intent with this crop whether or
not he says it was an accident or if he did it on purpose. Going back a farmer can try and fight
Monsanto but it will most likely end in Monsanto’s favor.
1.e Monoculture is something practiced by almost all farmers. This is growing one crop
at a time in mass amounts. This has lead to the extinction of many plants. “In the USA, 90
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percent of historic fruit and vegetable varieties have vanished” (Thornley, 2011). With the loss of
seed diversity, the need for an up rise in food production because of a rapidly growing
population, and infestation of funguses in plants we now have what is known as seed hunters.
(Thornley, 2011). They go out and look for seeds in the world marketplace that still provide a
diversity of things such as wheat and rice. With having a monoculture farming style it gives
plants the opportunity to bring about new plant diseases that can eventually end up killing off the
plants that people depend on for food. Seed diversity helps keep multiple strains of certain of
food around even if one plant gets infected and dies off. So these seed hunters go out in hopes of
finding seeds that they can then preserve with the initial hope that it will one day save humanity.
(Thornley, 2011). These seed hunters are all basing they work and findings off of the ethics of
care. They are putting their own needs aside and reaching out to help save future generations
from starving because of plant extinction. This act is also related to the ethics of virtue. They are
realizing that there is a problem with food and it needs to be saved now and it is done to be
charitable. Seed hunters can go on with a good life knowing they went out of their way to help
others in need.
2. When it comes to GMOs there is a theory of substantial equivalence. This is where a
GMO food is compared to its counterpart that is not genetically modified. The substantial