[Daily Caller] Multiple Iowan farmers accused the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on Thursday of arranging the theft of valuable genetically-modified seeds in the U.S., according to Newsweek.
The farmers alleged that Chinese nationals have been known to dig up genetically modified seeds, which are the product of scientific research and improve crop yields, making the seeds a valuable trade secret for the American agricultural sector, according to Newsweek. The farmers conveyed the allegations to a bipartisan delegation of congressional lawmakers who sat for a Thursday roundtable meeting in Dysart, Iowa.
Farmers pay a fee in order to use the genetically modified seeds, one farmer explained to Newsweek. When Chinese nationals steal those seeds so that they can be used in China and allow Chinese firms to skip research and development, they are stealing American intellectual property (IP) and trade secrets in order to gain an advantage, the farmer elaborated.
"In my opinion, it’s part of a much larger, country-wide, slow-motion heist of American intellectual property," Republican Wisconsin Rep. Mike Gallagher, said during the roundtable meeting, according to Newsweek. "We have a duty to protect all our technology, whether it’s in Silicon Valley or in a cornfield here in Iowa." |